Should We Fear Russia?

Russia: A Confusing Tangle of Contradictions

Starting in 2014, Russia began aggressively reasserting itself on the world stage, flexing its military muscle, first in Ukraine and then in Syria. While everyday Russians see their nation and its actions as benevolent, elsewhere Russian resurgence seems grounds for concern. Modern Russia exists in a somewhat murky geopolitical space. It is not a true democracy, but it's open enough that it allows its citizens to travel freely. It is tied to the West in many ways, yet it rejects many liberal European social standards and values – such as the idea of gay marriage – and sees pushing back against the United States’ dominance as a key mission. Russia’s focus on building an authoritarian “multi-ethnic nation state” has only further isolated it from the rest of Europe in recent years.

On the one hand, it’s unsurprising that Moscow continues to evoke a sense of trepidation in Westerners. Russia possesses a massive nuclear arsenal, engages in secretive decision-making, and seems to pride itself...