The Czar of the French
Russia has been vying for the West’s esteem for centuries, with France’s approval – a sought-after prize since the time of Peter the Great – coveted the most. Now the French seal of approval seemingly has been bestowed, in the form of the actor Gérard Depardieu, who sought – and has now received – Russian citizenship.
https://prosyn.org/FEBXH35
MOSCOW – Vladimir Putin has finally done it. Russia has been vying for the West’s esteem for centuries, with approval by the French – a sought-after prize since the time of Peter the Great – coveted the most. But, despite the defeat of Napoleon and the World War I alliance, Russia could never get any respect from France. Indeed, the Marquis de Custine’s Letters from Russia suggested that Russian civilization amounted to little more than the mimicry of monkeys.