CASS

NATO’s former Supreme Allied Commander Europe and today the Dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Medford, Massachusetts, retired Admiral James Stavridis, observes that understanding Russia today can be aided by reading the great Russian writers of the past. A variant of this theme is to view Russia through the lens of its dark humor.  Consider this incisive tale. While plowing his field, a peasant named Nikolai stumbled across a bottled genie.  In exchange for his freedom, the genie promised one wish.  However, there was a stipulation. Whatever Nikolai received, his neighbor Igor would get twice as much.  Nikolai hated Igor.  After thinking for a moment, Nikolai [...]

(Note to Readers:  The UPI Editors have asked for a series of articles on Russia.  This is the first) America’s infatuation with Russia can formally be dated from May 1867 when the U.S. paid $7.2 million ---worth about $1.3 billion today---for the purchase of Alaska.  Called “Seward’s Folly” after Secretary of State William Seward who negotiated the deal, one of the reasons for the sale was Russian expectation that by buying Alaska, the U.S. would become a more deeply involved Pacific power and a counter balance to Britain---the Tsar’s greater worry at the time.  Even then, geopolitics was not an unknown art to St. Petersburg outside the traditional European sphere. [...]