The hysteria to win Primakov to their side says less about Primakov than it does about the Russian people and the party apparatus. Hauntingly similar sentiments are echoed in various quarters in the United States about the most likely candidates for the presidency, as well as the current occupant of the White House, William Jefferson Clinton. In the United States the mainstream media has its personal presidential favorites, as do the decision-makers and party apparatus. Tons of money is being amassed, and the analysts are examining the candidates, lionizing some, ignoring most. Nor do a significant majority trust the various branches of government, or feel confident about the way they are being governed.
Millions believe that the federal government and the press are corrupt.
The next Russian president, whoever he is, will have to satisfy a fearful and demoralized populace. A Russia teeming with people who want money in their pockets, food on the shelves, and some kind of secure future - a man who will also be able to reestablish national power and pride. In the United States the money is good, there is food on the shelves, and few worry about things Russian - or national pride. Nevertheless, the next U.S. president is going to have to deal with two nations demoralized and in disarray - the U.S. and Russia. While in the case of Russia, a nation teetering on a precipice, still unsure of its course, whether it be to build a bridge to liberty, whether to retrench to tyranny, or whether to fall headlong into economic and political anarchy.