Worsening of Russia-West relations

NATO’s intervention in Kosovo is seen as one of the worst US foreign policy blunders.

After the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) on December 26, 1991, the economies of all its 14 republics went spiralling downwards. Private enterprise was prohibited in the USSR, but with the entrance of a capital market economy after its collapse, the income gap between the rich and the poor grew exponentially, resulting in a diminishing living standard of the people. Since then, the Russian Federation has been struggling to preserve its reputation as one of the global superpowers. Despite its efforts, it hasn't been able to expand its influence either globally or regionally, resulting in its and the West's continuous struggle and attempts to see each other as a threat to their ideologies. To date, the Federation does not accept American hegemony, and its perception of itself as a world power has been the major reason for the bitterness in the relationship between it and the West. Despite these drawbacks, Russia has improved a lot, and has been able to stand out as one of the global superpowers in this current era with a strong military and economy.