from russia, with love

it must be difficult being Russia. no other modern country can claim to have a more tumultuous history. the Russian revolution , the world wars, socialism and communism , the cold war times and the disintegration of the soviet union. all in the space of a mere 80 years.

for almost 50 years it took on the entire might of a broad ranging western alliance spearheaded by the mightiest, most resource rich empire ever formed in man's social history. the united states.. from across the cold war battle lines it fought a mighty covert battle with a foe economically its four times.

the end was predictable. what was amazing was the sheer duration of the hold up. Russia never had the industrial backbone that the west had, yet it never gave up its quest to seek parity.
it never lacked intent and purpose in locking horns with an enemy much mightier.

the 90's was a lost decade for most Russians as it was for much of India's poor millions. but here was something that external commentators missed while talking about the dismal state. no society or country , indeed no single person can stay entirely stagnant. always their is some underlying motion. Russia was also experiencing some political simmering.

by 2001 the change came to the fore. in Putin they found a man willing to take on the world. the unipolar world had new messages.if you are to beat Goliath you can't stay a David, you have to metamorphose into another Goliath.and Russia became a capitalist dream, and in turn a nightmare.

global geopolitical tectonic poles changed fast and thick. the post 9/11 world had a common enemy to slay "global terror" . a ubiquitous term for a vague, amorphous motley group of characters who had taken leave of civilization and operated in parallel universes of their own making. operating on narcissistic borderlines , these individuals had become full time employees of strife.

it was in this back ground that Russia began a quiet and a remarkable turnaround.

its military and diplomatic prowess came to the fore in the Chechnya solution. although the question is far from settled ,Russia has done well after the initial setbacks.

shanghai cooperation organization is another example of a a successful diplomatic manoeuvre. its attempts to bring the Russian underbelly back in its orbit are largely paying off.

economy in booming like never before. Russian oil and natural gas pipelines run through the body of Europe like life giving blood lines.
the future economics predictions are imbued with optimism.


the high watermark of Russian diplomacy and its recognition came with the previous G 8 summit in saint petersburg the first ever in the former socialist heartland.

for India the implications are clear. Russia is an old and trusted ally. its steadfastness in providing military and nuclear solutions to us is legendary. today with a booming economy their are multiple synergies emerging between the two old friends.

Russia India china remain the best bets to a future multi polar world.