Russia's Place in the World in the 21st Century (Research)

The greatest disappointment of the post-Communist era has been the failure of the West's relationship with Russia. Most policy-makers and experts expected that, after an inevitably troublesome period of transition, Russia would join the United States and Europe in a strategic and economic partnership, based on shared interests and values. The pace of change might be doubtful, but not its direction. Today, the area of shared interests has shrunk, and the divergence of values has grown.