"United forever in friendship and labor, our mighty republics will ever endure" is the beginning of the now infamous anthem of the erstwhile Soviet Union. Although the anthem, and the country which it represented are now gone, the music of the anthem was salvaged and replaced by new lyrics for the current Russian anthem. Although the current anthem of the Russian Federation remains, the author of its lyrics and the original Soviet lyrics, Sergey Mickhalkov, passed away a few days ago at the age of 96, having been alive both for the creation and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Mikhalkov, was one of Stalin's favorite propaganda writers, and was awarded numerous prizes, but this article is not about him. It is about the country that embraced him, Russia, the same country from which I left for the United States in 1994, only three years after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Molded by peoples from Europe and Asia, Russia emerged first as its own power with an independent mindset. However, under the leadership of Peter the Great, Russia decided to look towards Europe for guidance and drastically revamped its political ideology. However, after a period of looking to Europe for guidance, Russia decided to try its own social experiment of Communism, which lasted for 70 years. It would seem that after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia would join Europe and America as a natural ally due to its former history prior to the establishment of the Soviet Union. However, although it did seem that Russia was heading towards a rapprochement with the while I was still there, after a number of financial crises in the late 90s, it was the strongman, judo-fighting Vladimir Putin's turn to take the reigns from the often inebriated Yeltsin. Putin did put the country back on track with unprecedented economic growth during the early to mid 2000s.

By speaking with Russians and by reading Russian language news it seems that Russia likes strong leaders like Putin. Sure, Medvedev is the current president, but everybody knows that the real power rests with Putin. In the minds of most Russians, Yeltsin is associated with everything that is wrong with Western capitalism. On the other hand, Putin, Time Magazine's man of the year for 2007 is associated with everything that is uniquely Russian and thus the correct fit for the country.

While the "Color Revolutions" swept across Georgia and Ukraine in the past few years, Russia has been as fiercely independent as ever. Russia sent navy ships to Venezuela. It co-founded the "Shanghai Cooperation Organization" with China, which might soon include India, Iran, and Pakistan. Russia is clearly on a path to carve out its own role, mostly as a counterpoint to what they perceive to be the Western monolith. While the U.S. media was surprised at President Obama's lukewarm reception by the Russian people and media when he was recently there, I felt that it was in line with Russia's indifference and long-held distrust of anything Western. Nevertheless, if one is to ask many Russians about their views on America, there would be many positive notes as well, but they will always be qualified. In fact, I don't think I had ever spoken to a Russian person who did not qualify praise for the West or for the United States.

After coming to America, I grew up in Brighton Beach, a Russian-American ethnic enclave in Brooklyn, NY. I used more Russian outside of school than English. In elementary, middle, and high school over 50% of students were Russian immigrants or children of Russian immigrants. In my college, Russian students were probably around a third of the population, with almost 95% immigrant or children of immigrants.

Upon coming to law school, I finally entered the real America. In this America, American politics are obviously more important than Russian politics. Additionally, I started law school right around the time of one of the most important presidential elections of all time for the United States.

Amidst the hubbub surrounding the American presidential elections, I could not help but compare the Russian presidential elections that were going on at the same time. While SNL was lampooning Sarah Palin, and Obama and McCain were exchanging their opinions on a variety of issues, I looked across the Atlantic to Russia, where any opposition was stifled, threatened, and jailed. I saw Gary Kasparov, the former Chess champion, try valiantly, but foolhardily to chip away at the Russian political establishment with Putin at the helm. Though it is a democracy, Russia still struggles with the Western tenets of a free society.  With so much power still resting in the hands of one man, it can be little surprise that many Russians feel as though their country is facing an identity crisis: can it embrace modern society and a new role in the world while at the same time hold on to traditions which include striving to be a superpower and reliance on a strong willed leader with a great deal of power?

I, too, share in this identity crisis.  A few weeks after starting law school, I ran into an LLM student from the Republic of Georgia. We had a cordial conversation until it turned out that I was Russian, and just a few days before that, Russia and Georgia had just finished fighting a war. He told me, "Oh, you're Russian?" I responded, "Yea, but I'm not like them." I wonder, will there be a time when Russia can be certain in what direction it is going? Is it a democracy, or is it a dictatorship? Is it European, or Asian, or both, or neither? What is Russia? At the same time, I sit here wondering whether there will be a time when I will be able to say, "Yes, I'm Russian-American," or maybe "Yes, I'm Russian," or maybe I will remain uncertain just like the country which gave me my beginning and keep asking myself, "Who is Vadim?"