Russia: the big picture

Harvey Sicherman, president of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, offers here the best, objective analysis I've seen of how Russia sees the world and what its objectives are. He weaves in key post Cold War elements, starting with Yeltsin's retreat from democracy in 1993 that led to Clinton's decision to expand NATO. He links the Kosovo dispute to the Caucasus, and missile defense to other pressures on former Warsaw Pact members. The article is long but well worth your while.