The classic was Nikita Khrushchev’s seven-year plan (1959-65), which promised to make Russia a Communist Utopia ... Moscow’s new leaders are more realistic. Last week Premier Aleksei N.

In doing so, he not only underestimated Russia’s willingness to act but also overestimated Western resolve. Realism emphasizes that misperceptions of power and resolve are among the most ...

He set about re-establishing Russian control in the country as early as 2004, when he campaigned directly in its presidential election for a pro-Kremlin candidate. In The Folly of Realism ...