Thank you for your kind words.

I think there is merit in what you said, but I disagree with your assessment of Putin’s regime. This is why I disagree.

The West (America, in particular) has had a powerful animosity towards the Soviet Union, then Russia, for the last 102 years. The arrogance of American foreign (and domestic) policy is the flip-side of ignorance. We have been woefully ignorant of the Russian mentality, which has developed for more than a thousand years.

During the 1930s and ’40s, the brutal dictator, Josef Stalin, ravaged the Soviet Union, body, mind and soul. Despite his abuses, the love of the Russian people for their Motherland was entrenched in their DNA, and no matter who came to power there was a profound sense of loyalty to Mother Russia.

The Westerners attempted to co-opt the Soviet policies in so many areas, but the Soviets were determined never to be subservient again; hundreds of years of dominance by the Cossacks, the Tatars, and their allies toughened up the Russian soul, and made them realize that they needed to be tough and self-reliant.

My wife was born in Armenia and spent time in Russia. She left after Gorbachev came to power, and has expressed bitter disdain for him because his love of talk was not in the slightest bit matched with the structural reforms that needed to be made in order to implement the ideals he articulated in his book “Glasnost.” Many people do not know this, but Gorbachev became fabulously wealthy as he presided over the demise of the Soviet Union, and he now lives in a large estate worth many millions of dollars in Switzerland.

Yeltsin was a drunken stumble-bum, who did nothing to advance the cause of Russians.

Putin came to power in 2000. The mafiosi came to power, too, and made a mess of the national patrimony for years. However, Putin gradually accumulated power and influence over more and more sectors of society until he was able to assert the necessary dominance to prevent the greedy SOBs from stealing the nation’s wealth.

Now, 19 years later, Russia’s excellence in education, health care, transportation, military power, and science have also seen an increase in Russian lifespans and opportunities.

Are there shortcomings in Russia today? Absolutely. Is Russia the creme de la creme of countries around the world? Of course not. But I look at the Russian love of literature, of studying, of stretching to improve themselves in so many areas, and I understand the pride that they are now feeling.

By contrast, we in the United States have an absolutely abysmal record in education, health care, life expectancy, culture, opportunities for women, and many other areas that are essential for a happy life.

We claim “We’re №1,” but that claim rings hollow.

Would I trade life in America for life in Russia? Honestly, it’s a close call.