Political Climate of the 1980's Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Political Climate of the 1980's - Essay Example It is wrong to assume that the arms race is over as both the United States and the Russian Federation goes on feverishly producing deadlier and more lethal weapons of mass destruction. The Russian Federation today is under the determined leadership of Vladimir Putin compared to the indisciplined and chaotic days in the aftermath of the Soviet Union, under Boris Yeltsin. Russia today is far more stable and prosperous though much less democratic compared to the days of Yeltsin. Putin as a leader may be strong and determined but he also has a past that worries the west, his reputation of a ruthless KGB officer. It is however felt in many strategic circles that the west too has overlooked its responsibilities and recklessly went ahead with attempts to get the former Warsaw Pact members under the NATO ambit. The Russians have historically resented attempts by the western powers to penetrate their 'Slavic sphere of interest' in Eastern Europe and to this extent it could be said that the west for once could have been a little more measured in its approach.