Beware Of The Bear

The boy David has been trying to poke the Russian Bear into some reaction.  He may not get the one he is hoping for.  In fact he may well get one that will cause him endless trouble.

To understand President Vladimir Putin you have to understand Russia. To understand Russia you have to understand its history. This is far from easy given its scope and complexity.

This eight minute clip from Youtube, the Coronation Scene from "Boris Gudunov"  will give you the sense of it.  For Boris read Vladimir.  This kind of thing is not lost on another Boris much closer to home.

This leading scholar did understand Russia, for various reasons.  I was one of the first students he tutored.  His insights were remarkable.  One was that to understand French political history it was necessary to study closely the 1934 book "Clochemerle".

He was very right.  Also, he was right about Russia.  Without a real knowledge of its deep history you are meat for the bear.