Do not underestimate Russia. That is just what many commentators are doing these days as they look at its declining population, its collapsing stock market, its dangerous reliance on oil and gas exports, the dismal style of its political leadership, its docile parliament, its aggressive foreign policy, its revoltingly rich oligarchs, its rampant crime and corruption and much else.
But things may not be nearly as bad as they appear and it could be that beneath the unattractive veneer a very different and far more appealing Russia is waiting to escape the past and shed its gloomy image.
Unfortunately, the country's political leaders and policymakers are doing very little to help it along this happier path. Russia comes across as a surly and aggressive former giant, quick to take offense and ready to play the bully with its smaller neighbors. Its concept of a commonwealth of surrounding countries, the relic of old Russian empire, seems to be to threaten or invade outright, as in the case of Georgia, rather than coexist with respect and harmony. Its idea of using its energy dominance as a political weapon is utterly shortsighted and will certainly backfire, as its Western European customers make it a priority to reduce their reliance on Russian gas supplies.