So even though our gross double standards regarding Bahrain and Syria might appear, at first glance, to be totally unrelated to our relationship with Russia they are actually quite important because of the suspicion and paranoia they inevitably breed. The Russians do not appreciate being excoriated, mocked, and vilified for doing something, shielding a nasty regional ally, that we do every day. Lastly, the Russians, the Chinese, and other rising powers like predictability, and an America that weaponizes a concept as nebulous as “democracy” is the very opposite of predictable: there can be no clearly defined rules for promoting such a concept since the term itself is subject to so much debate.