Consistent with civic statism, such a focus argues that only when the homefront is well can Russia rightly and effectively claim its place as a great power abroad. This preference for an inward orientation might help explain the popularity of such politicians as Moscow's mayor, Yurii Luzhkov, who occasionally spouts nationalist claims against a state like Ukraine but, more importantly, his actions at home speak louder for a doer who cares about his city and people. The conventional wisdom among many western analysts and policymakers that Russian nationalism is synonymous with malevolent ideas and behavior is simplistic and wrong. We should rightly condemn extremist Russian nationalist ideas, but more important, we must acknowledge nationalism as a legitimate force for uniting Russian state and society, and encourage the healthiest strand that is proving resonant today with a bulk of the Russian people. In the past, many Russians supported the expansionist policies of the state, but now they are exhausted with the imperial mode of statecraft and seek mainly to improve their lives inside Russia.
Words are cheap, but they can have positive effects.
At a time when Russia is in difficult straits and feels in some ways snubbed by the West, words of sympathy regarding Russian nationalism and future state development can improve the atmosphere of US-Russian relations. Second, to help strengthen the evolution of healthy Russian nationalism, the United States must, in the next decade, clarify as much as possible its own benign intentions toward Russia and affirm its support for Russian integration into western political, economic, and security networks. Support for Russian integration does not mean that we shower Russia with privileges it does not deserve or positions it cannot fulfill. The success of a benign form of nationalism in consolidating Russian statehood will be key to Russia's evolution as long-term friend or foe of the West, and normal member or pariah state of the international system. The importance of a healthy nationalism cannot be underestimated.