December 31, 2014

Our First Cold War


Our First Cold War

When the Editors at Russian Life asked me to write about how my friends and I (“the younger generation”) view the current state of Russian-American relations, given the events of 2014, I honestly had to pause and think about it.

First, allow me to introduce myself, to give some context for my views.

I’m 21. I was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city. I’m finishing college, speak two foreign languages passably, travel several times a year, and cannot imagine life without the internet.

My childhood was founded on American cartoons and books. After class, I watch American shows and hang out on Facebook and on Vkontakte. I know all the Disney plotlines by heart. I can summarize the biographies of all the main Marvel superheroes. I can commiserate about how Hey, Arnold! never had a logical conclusion. And if I try hard enough, I might recall the names of the first Power Rangers. Among my friends, quoting Friends or Star Wars is basic good taste.

At the same time, I can explain the “Raskolnikov’s doubles” theory regarding Dostoyevsky, boast that I’ve read Sergei Dovlatov’s complete works, or quote Joseph Brodsky.

But let’s get one thing straight: my friends and I do not constitute all of Russia’s youth. And I doubt we’re even in the majority.

Several years ago, I remember how local radio stations used to get a kick out of listing silly American laws: “In Oklahoma you may be sent to prison for biting off a piece of another person’s hamburger,” or “In Hayden, you can be fined for harassing frogs.” But recently, a different quip has been making the rounds: that we used to laugh at stupid American laws, and now we’re getting a taste of our own medicine.

This whole deal with sanctions and a “new Cold War” is exacerbated by how my peers (and not just them) drown in the flow of information, not always capable of making sense of the news. I specifically asked several people I know to tell me where they get their news. It turned out that more than half get it from their parents; the others get it via social networks. It follows that few rely on facts, given that not everyone gets their information from independent media, or at least from foreign outlets (to get other perspectives on the issue).

The result is that most Russians hate America. Some blame Obama for meddling (then again, not all of my American friends support his policies), some ignorantly believe that the sanctions banning food imports from the US and EU is an American initiative, not a Russian one. There are people who call all opposition movements “American puppets.” So it seems that my generation is not that different from that of my parents. History is cyclical. So the Cold War continues – and most people are fine with that.

And the saddest part is that I see no way to make things better. When Russia announced that it would not longer participate in the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program, it triggered a wave of indignation from the program’s alumni. I heard people say that a “thread” connecting our countries had been broken, cutting off potential communication. But I don’t think this will change much.

In Russia, English, which is still taught in all schools, is spoken by only 5 percent of people. I suspect that among students the number is 15-30 percent. These are statistics from the last census. Thus, only 5 percent can say more than, say, “London is the capital of Great Britain.” The other 95 percent listen only to Russian news, read only Russian newspapers, and believe in “stability,” even as the ruble weakens day after day. I don’t mean to say that if one could access American, British, German, or Finnish media, everything would fundamentally change. Of course not; but every generation appears less and less capable of critical thought.

There’s no single person or country to blame for this. The US also meddled, with the mess in Crimea and the subsequent sanctions. The States should have taken on the role of the “wise and powerful.” They shouldn’t have expected that people would rush to change their government after seeing what the sanctions did. They won’t. My generation, the 20-year-olds who have always manned the barricades, does not know how else it can be. The older generation, which has lived through so many crises and hard times, will just sigh and think about how to live on, how to earn some money and keep their jobs. Undermining the economy of another country, where so many people live (and not all of them well), is far from the right path, especially coming from a nation always proud of itself for defending the interests of others.

Russia, too, should have first thought of the consequences and worked through all the alternatives, which no one did. It was more fun to coast on Putin’s ratings, borne upwards by the rising tide of patriotism. It would have been a good idea to take care of the economy, develop sectors other than oil and gas, and to not create conditions that left foreign companies, startups, and small businesses two possibilities to consider: bare-bones survival in Russia or an immediate escape plan. The rock band Lumen sings, “I love my country, but I hate the state.” It looks like they did a good job reflecting the general view.

The events of 2014 have not changed my view of America: I really want to go there. This evening I’ll be chatting with my American friends. I will be happy for them, because someone is going to Las Vegas next month, someone else started a business, and another person won their college Quidditch match. I don’t care that the TV shows I watch still feature “Russian mobsters” as villains. After all, one of Russia’s most popular shows right now is about a mobster from the 90s trying to figure out how to live in the modern world.

I really want to believe in an “11th hour Samaritan” – that someone will come who can find the perfect solution. In the end, it’s the people who matter: only they can change everything.


Translation by Eugenia Sokolskaya

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

Some of Our Books

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
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...
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

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