Re: ...but for Russia to accept the prospect of a gradual merge with the EU and becoming indistinguishable from a region that is culturally, economically AND politically aligned with the US...
The EU is no longer politically aligned with the US... Think of the US/EU divide as of Constantinople vs Rome in the Middle Ages: both empires claimed to be the sole legitimate heir of Christendom, just as today the EU and the US boast their respective social fabrics as the only genuine Democracy.
I'd even go a small step further in foretelling that a new Byzantine Alliance of sorts is at work... Indeed, when Barak will be defeated by hawkish Ariel Sharon on Feb 6th, the EU, Russia and Israel will share a common "Arabophobic" stance.(BTW, bear in mind that over one million Russian Jews have emigrated to Israel) The only major obstacle within the EU is France --but then again, only a faction of France's Gaullist establishment is partial to Arab countries. French PM Lionel Jospin and his Jewish allies are supportive of a pro-Israel policy. Hence the current tug of war between the pro-Israel camp (jailed Jean-Christophe Mitterrand, Jacques Attali, Falcone, Marchiani, Pasqua, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Elisabeth Guigou, former Justice minister Robert Badinter [who called for Prez Chirac to be interrogated by a judge], etc.) and the Gaullist/pro-Arab camp (Prez Jacques Chirac, former PM Alain Juppé, etc.)
A few clues....
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