Look, I’m not a fan of modern Russia, but this feels like an extremely ahistorical pop-history take. I’m not even sure how Russia would exist as a state if all their leaders were the “bumbling ideologues” you describe them as. The Russian government has been pretty clear what their goals and motives are since Putin took power.

Thanks for the response! You bring up a lot of good points.

With regards to the beginning of the Cold War, I think Stalin’s conservative approach does make sense from the perspective you laid out; the Soviets had just lost >25 million people and much of their industry.

With respect to post-Soviet Russia, yeah I think they’re truly stuck between a rock and a hard place. They don’t want to capitulate to the west but still understandably want broader peace. To be honest, if I was in Putin’s shoes I don’t really know what I’d do. Be socialist again? Lol.

Russia is such an interesting country to me because of this weird space they occupy where they’re like a sort of Schrödinger’s European. Simultaneously Western and not. I do wish the Russian left could become a more meaningful force in politics there.