June 25, 2008

A Metaphorical Net Game


Russia this spring won a series of notable victories on the international stage.

Maria Sharapova (see front cover) won the Australian Open, Russia won the UEFA Cup in soccer, and the Russian squad took the World Hockey Championships in Montreal. The women's tennis Fed Cup team also advanced to the finals of that tourney, upstart Dinara Safina came in second in the French Open of tennis, and Bilan won the Eurovision song contest.

The first thing to note is that all but one of these victories took place in sport. Russia has truly regained its prowess as a sports superpower, and it may rise further yet. It will surely be giving the U.S. a run for its money in the overall medals race at the Beijing Olympics in August. This is quite impressive when you consider that Russia has less than half the population of the U.S. and one-tenth that of China (which will likely place third in overall medals).

Second, this rise in sports achievement takes place against the backdrop of a Russia that, without putting too fine a point on it, has bumbled from failure to failure in foreign policy in recent months, from Georgia to the Baltics, to Iran, England, Ukraine, Poland and the U.S. (And don't mention the Hague.) Or at least that is how their moves have been generally perceived by the majority of Western states.

This is curious indeed. Because during the Cold War conventional wisdom had it that, if we could engage the Soviet Union in sports and business and cultural exchanges, we would get to know one another better, we would beat our swords into plowshares, and we would take out our aggressions on the soccer field, rather than in Cuba or the Middle East. Yet it turns out that, as post-Soviet Russia has become less of a military power and more of an economic and sports power, it has been making more enemies, not less, particularly on its borders.

Someone favorably inclined to Russia might think (hope?) that Russia's actions in Georgia, Kosovo or the Baltics are simply being misinterpreted. But that is hard to square with the facts. Too many of the moves (gas cutoffs, diplomatic expulsions, missile base bluster, Slavic chauvinism) have been blatant, heavy-handed and wrong-headed.

In tennis, there is something called a passing shot. Your opponent aggressively charges the net while returning a short, easy shot. This puts them in a forward position, ready to attack your return and slam it down your throat. But this net position, while superficially strong, can also be very weak. If you are a good player, you can use trigonometric advantages to slide a passing shot past your opponent, down the sideline, or lob the ball over the net player's head to score the point.

Russia has been repeatedly charging the net. Yet, rather than whacking back humiliating passing shots, we need to ease our "opponent" back to the baseline. Keeping the rally alive with vigorous baseline volleys is a much better place to be. Sure, it is fun to score quick and decisive points, but some games are less about winning than about ensuring the competition continues peacefully.

{Editor's Letter in the July/August 2008 issue of Russian Life}

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
How Russia Got That Way

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955