West doesn’t understand Russia

Andrew Michta: Neither the Trump administration nor European governments will solve the “Churchillian riddle” until they finally understand that the imperialist drive at the center of the modern Russian state cannot be “solved” but must be dismantled. In other words, as long as the revisionist narrative remains foundational to what Russia is, Europe will know no peace for Moscow will insist on subjugating and controlling its periphery and having a decisive voice among the world’s greatest powers. And so, the United States and its allies in Europe face a binary: Either follow the path of appeasement that has defined the last two decades of the West’s relations with Russia, thereby inviting more Russian expansionism, or commit yet again to resourcing and building structures that can contain Russia, including genuine rearmament to deter Russia from invading…