Author Caroline Walton on how the assumption that 'west is best' can harm east-west relations.
I’ve been watching the excellent BBC series Putin, Russia and the West (Thursdays, BBC2 9pm). In the second episode, after the Russians refuse a British request to change their constitution to allow the extradition of Andrei Lugovoi over the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, Putin is seen telling a group of his young supporters, “They forget that Great Britain is no longer a colonial power. It is insulting. It shows they are still stuck in the last century. They should treat us with respect. Only then will we respect them.”
Western leaders and commentators might take note, whatever they think of Putin or the Litvinenko case. The blind assumption that ‘west is best’ is not only distasteful but counterproductive. If only our leaders had the wisdom to lead by example, through attraction rather than promotion, then we might break through this stale impasse in east-west relations.
Caroline Walton is the author of The Beseiged: A Story of Survival, published by BiteBack Publishing, a beautifully observed account of the Siege of Leningrad.