] For once the European Union and George W. Bush have found
] an issue on which they can be on the same side. The wrong
] side. The unifying theme is their attitude toward Russia.
]
] .
]
] Bush lost no opportunity during his recent European tour,
] including his Bratislava meeting with President Vladimir
] Putin, to lecture the Russians about the virtues of
] democracy, human rights and the rule of law, clearly
] implying that in his view the Russian Federation is
] drifting back toward authoritarian rule.
]
] .
]
] From the higher reaches of the EU comes the same story.
] Putin's latest moves to centralize power in Moscow and
] apparently weaken the regions have been roundly condemned
] by the EU.
]
] .
]
] Unsurprisingly this is having a highly negative effect in
] Moscow. Russian policy makers increasingly feel that they
] are under attack from uncomprehending ideologues in
] Washington and arrogant zealots in Brussels. The
] Americans, they say, do not begin to understand Russia's
] problems, whether in Chechnya or elsewhere in the vast
] "post-Soviet space."
]
] .

In defense of Vladimir Putin