One of the advantages of getting spied on is that one can feed the information to one’s opponent that one wants him to see. As a rule, one never gets targeted with propaganda unless one also gets spied on, so it can be safely assumed that any place with an army of Russian commenters also has a potential audience for carefully calibrated information.

For example, I am struck by how many Russians fail to see the pitfalls of using Kosovo as a precedent for Russian behavior, for doing so essentially abandons Kosovo to Albanians. This is not a minor issue, given how Serbia has become an economic colony of Russia, complete with Gazprom controlling the local oil & gas company. Any Russian betrayal of Serbia will be watched closely by all of Russia’s neighbors, allies, clients — and enemies. The use of the Kosovo precedent, more than the invasion of Georgia itself, undermines future Russian diplomacy.

Russia has the potential to be a great nation. And yet, I am confused about why Russia hasn’t built a Trans-Siberian pipeline (along the same right-of-way as the Trans-Siberian Railway) all the way to Vladivostok. This would bring Russian (and central Asian) petroleum to the Japanese, Korean, and coastal Chinese markets. I am confused why Russia won’t welcome refugees from North Korea, complete with offering them Russian citizenship on condition of learning Russian and converting to the Russian Orthodox Church. North Koreans who escape to Russia and become Russian citizens would likely become strong and firm Russian patriots; why would Russia fail to seize this opportunity? Russia needs to repair the damage that Georgian monster called Stalin did to Russian agriculture. Why can’t Russians learn the best agricultural methods and promote a new “kulak” class even if the expertise of these kulaks must be imported?

There are many things Russia can do in the short term and the long term to become something more than a nostalgic petroleum monarchy with nuclear weapons. Although Russia is capable of cutting off a trans-Caucasus pipeline with the potential of bringing Caspian Sea nations into the orbit of Europe, it is nonsensical to imagine how Russia would gain true greatness on the basis of a stale nostalgic militarism that glorifies power, procreation, and Vladimir Putin. A great nation does not let its roads fall apart. Russia could build a mag-lev train network that would bring a traveler from Saint Petersburg to Tashkent, Vladivostok or the Bering Strait within one day. Will Russia? That is another question.