Vladimir Putin is back, and with him are the most primitive foreign policy initiatives. At the beginning of his first term as Russia's president, Putin sought contacts with Cuba, Libya and North Korea.
As he prepares for a third term, he has expressed interest in creating a "Eurasian Union" with Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Putin insists that these nations have a common history and that mutual cooperation could bring their people "direct economic benefit" and "allow all of them to integrate into Europe more rapidly and from a stronger position."
Putin knows that more than half of Russian voters recall the Soviet past with affection. He understands that the idea of reviving the empire entertains many of his fellow citizens. And so he seems ready to ignore facts in favor of ideology.