The most comforting interpretation of the disturbing new tone from Moscow circles around legacy and elections. Vladimir Putin is in his last year as Russian President and wants to be remembered as the man who stood up to goliath. The fresh attack on the U.S. and NATO can be seen as the first salvo in the upcoming presidential campaign. Putin, acting in the interest of his yet to be handpicked successor, plays his friend Gerhard Schröder's game: when in doubt, go against America. It will win you an election. This weekend a high-ranking Russian official put it this way: "America-bashing is just as popular in Russia as Russia-bashing is in America." He concludes that we are not witnessing a sea change in Russian foreign policy.

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Countries react to power, or to the absence of power. Vladimir Putin and his Kremlin elite claim that the West has ignored, neglected, underestimated or bullied Russia for more than a decade. Perception can mirror reality. Post-imperial Russia has been characterized this week as a country that matters little in the post-1989 world. According to the Kremlin narrative, Russia has become a victim of Western arrogance.

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