Will Russia Ever Become Like America?

Red Square

Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg: Russia Missed Its Chance to Be Like America

Many Russians feel the U.S. and their country are much alike. Both are vast, they share a sense of adventure, along with underlying lawlessness and violence, and in both, the infrastructure often is an afterthought. So what is keeping Russia from turning into another America -- a democratic nation and an economic powerhouse?

Russia got its chance in the early 1990s, but it was largely wasted. The first post-Soviet decade brought almost unlimited liberties, but also rampant corruption and economic decline. During the second one, the liberties gradually eroded and the economy improved thanks to high commodity prices -- a mirage, as became clear by the middle of the third decade. So is it just that Russians are not suited to building the kind of society that has ensured America's prosperity?

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WNU Editor: I asked this same question to a senior Russian diplomat at the UN around 1990. His answer .... it took the U.S. 200 years to be where it is today .... modern Russia is only a few years old .... it is going to take a few generations, but eventually Russia will be like the U.S.. Sighhh .... it has been 25 years .... it made sense then .... and it is certainly making sense now.