Time for Russia to Shed Pessimism

There has always been an acute shortage of optimism in Russia. It could be because of the country's harsh climate or its troubled history. Nonetheless, optimists do emerge from time to time. If he is a politician, he is traditionally dismissed as a populist. If the optimist is an average citizen, he is suspected of having a few screws loose. Pessimism, on the other hand, is viewed as a sign of a sharp mind and independent thinking.

It is thus no wonder that just as U.S.-Russian relations have started to take a turn for the better, the voices of optimistic enthusiasts have been drowned out by a cacophony of pessimism. Newspaper and television reports warn Russians not to suffer from delusions, not to entertain excessive hopes for a thawing of relations between Moscow and Washington, and not to close their eyes to the fundamental differences on each country's policies and worldviews.