A sense of Russian exceptionalism is driving Vladimir Putin’s moves in Eurasia, Ukraine and Syria, a leading Russia scholar said Monday. – USNI News
As the Soviet Union was breaking up 25 years ago, Mikhail Gorbachev expected the United States and its Western allies to provide vital aid. The former Soviet president thinks their failure to offer significant help wasted a chance to build a safer world and resulted from short-sighted gloating at a Cold War rival's demise. – Associated Press
Jakub Grygiel writes: Russia is not a misunderstood power asking for sympathy but a predatory rival in search of gains. To anyone proposing a grand bargain, the answer should be clear: nuts. – The American Interest