Destinies of Deception: Despotism, Democracies and the Modern Russian Experience (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798349669125)

Russia has long been a threat to our national security. Shortly after the end of World War

II, tensions began to escalate between the United States and the Soviet Union (which was

centered around Russia, hence we will use the two names interchangeably). The Cold War was a

difficult period during which conflicts occurred all over the world, as we and the Russians

installed and supported proxy governments and armies. There was a serious threat of nuclear

war, which was reduced thanks to the dialogue between Reagan and Gorbachev. The end of the

communist regimes in Europe led to a favorable situation that brought optimism: the threat of a

future global war was over. Russia became our partner, even participating in some NATO

training (the Partnership for Peace initiative).

However, the Russians were not happy with this marginalized position. They were eager

to become a respected power again. Then Vladimir Putin appeared and began to pursue a policy

of "strong Russia." Over time, he demonstrated his aim to restore the Soviet Union, but in the

form of an expanded Russia that would have a strong influence in world affairs. The war in

Ukraine is the apotheosis of his plan, which was aimed at eliminating the unipolar world.

Since the beginning of the war, the American media, politicians and academic circles

have been repeating that Russia is a serious threat and our task is to eliminate it. However, with

Donald Trump's coming to power, an alternative version has emerged - that we must come to an

agreement with Russia and understand each other. We must show that our attitude is benevolent

and that it is not aimed at destroying Russia as a state and as a nation. This book aims precisely

to show what our attitude should be toward today's Russia, toward Putin's Russia, and to analyze the possible prospects of this attitude. To this end, however, we will delve deeper into Russian culture and soul, focusing on Eastern Orthodoxy, Russian literature and the great Russianphilosophers. Hence, the book that the reader holds in their hands is not purely political in nature, but also contains historical, religious, philosophical and cultural dimensions. The present work consists of six chapters. The first one is a historical outline that tells the story of the Russian tsardom since the time of Ivan the Terrible. As it will be shown, the history of Russia after Ivan the Terrible is a history of opposition between conservative forces (who hold on to Russian tradition) and pro-European forces (who prefer to borrow practices and ideas from the West).