How Russians See the West and Russia

In each Russian city, I talked to a cross-section of people, from cab drivers and bus riders to civil society workers, professionals, and entrepreneurs of small- to medium-sized businesses.  I even had an opportunity to hear what teenagers had to say in two of those cities as I participated in a Q&A session with students of a private high school in St. Petersburg and teens who were part of various youth clubs in Krasnodar. Their questions reflected a thoughtful engagement with the world as they led to discussions on environmental sustainability, socially responsible economics and how to promote initiative, goodwill and peaceful conflict resolution.  Many of the adults were no less thoughtful during the formal interviews and informal conversations I had with them.