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Versty
No. 134
November 2001
[translation from RIA Novosti for personal use only]
WHERE IS RUSSIA HEADING?
Who are we? Where are we going? These questions are as old as the hills. Should Russia follow the path of the civilized world or turn to its own unbeaten track? The psychology of the Russian people has been broken not only by the Ural Mountains but also by its history, which is rich in revolutions, wars and cruel social experiments. This has probably caused soul searching, an endless search for a meaning to life and one's place in society and the contradictions in public consciousness.
According to the data of the All-Russian Centre for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM), only 13 per cent of our compatriots believe that Russia belongs to Western civilization and the overwhelming majority, 71 per cent, regard Russia as a so-called "Eurasian" or Orthodox civilization. So we should neither bow to the West or the East. However, there is no universal certainty that the "special" or "third" way is the quickest to wealth and prosperity. About 37 per cent of those polled believe that Russia will need more than 100 years to reach the level of developed countries and 10 per cent do not believe that it is possible.
According to sociologists, many Russians are suffering from "a national inferiority complex." About 56 per cent of them do not regard Russia as a great power and 39 per cent are ready to accept the fact that it will never be one. First of all, this complex is related to the USA that we have been trying "to overtake and surpass" for a long time. More than 50 per cent of those polled believe that under the present conditions, when Russia and the USA seem to be ready for active cooperation, we are not interacting on an equal footing with the USA but "are lagging behind."
Versty Analytical Centre
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