Why Russia Roots for Obama

Russians recognize and respect power. President Vladimir Putin developed an excellent relationship with the outgoing Chinese leadership. Until recently he was buddies with the Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdogan, and is a good friend of the former Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi. Unlike Obama, he gets along with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a former deputy commander of an elite commando unit and by definition a tough guy. Yet, many times, and in different quarters in Moscow, Russians characterized the current U.S. president as a well-meaning leader who is somewhat weak and naive. While Russians view past Republican presidents as hard-nosed realists, they had their share of troubles with well-meaning Democrats. Kennedy had his Cuban missile crisis; Carter, his Afghanistan invasion; and Obama, his “reset” policy. Every time the Russians perceived a weakness in a Democrat president, they made a move—even though later they may have come to regret it.