Western reaction to Crimea and Donbass: one who was considered dead came back to life

Western reaction to Crimea and Donbass: one who was considered dead came back to lifeDmitry Babich, columnistThere are articles that expose their authors. One of them is "Russia without illusions" published by New York Times on March 22, 2014. Its author develops an idea favoured by a number of Western journalists that Crimea has unveiled the true face of Putin.Ross Douthat talks about the Western perspective on the future of Russia, which consists of the further expansion of NATO and Russia becoming a sphere of America's interests. The author assumes that Russia will be fine with this situation.Douthat points out the contradiction between the two lines of Western policy towards Russia: between the "whip" of NATO enlargement and the "carrot" of the attitude towards Russia as a "normal" country participating in PACE, the G8 and the G20. The carrot clearly does not compensate for the whip and the situation was doomed to explode one day. Whom does Douthat propose to blame? Of course, Moscow.At least in one instance Douthat is right - after Crimea there will be fewer lies between Russia and the West because illusions have been proven wrong. So instead of fake friendship there will a long standoff, Douthat claims.However, this standoff has been going on for quite some time already. The West has never seen Russia as a "normal" country since 1991.Douthat is wrong to mourn the loss of "illusions": the only thing that was lost is not the illusions but the veil which concealed the reality.

Dmitry Babich, columnist
There are articles that expose their authors. One of them is "Russia without illusions" published by New York Times on March 22, 2014. Its author develops an idea favoured by a number of Western journalists that Crimea has unveiled the true face of Putin.
Ross Douthat talks about the Western perspective on the future of Russia, which consists of the further expansion of NATO and Russia becoming a sphere of America's interests. The author assumes that Russia will be fine with this situation.
Douthat points out the contradiction between the two lines of Western policy towards Russia: between the "whip" of NATO enlargement and the "carrot" of the attitude towards Russia as a "normal" country participating in PACE, the G8 and the G20. The carrot clearly does not compensate for the whip and the situation was doomed to explode one day. Whom does Douthat propose to blame? Of course, Moscow.
At least in one instance Douthat is right - after Crimea there will be fewer lies between Russia and the West because illusions have been proven wrong. So instead of fake friendship there will a long standoff, Douthat claims.
However, this standoff has been going on for quite some time already. The West has never seen Russia as a "normal" country since 1991.
Douthat is wrong to mourn the loss of "illusions": the only thing that was lost is not the illusions but the veil which concealed the reality.