Quote Originally Posted by E-learner View Post
There is an easy (I am not saying necessarily a true) answer.
If you believe it is in the best interest of any country to follow the USA lead, why wouldn't you trust them doing exactly that?
Speaking of Russians, I think it is safe to say that the USA acts more or less like most Russians expect it to.
I believe every country has its own interests. The notion of "USA lead" needs elaboration as on its own it can mean too many things to mention. I was talking about positive expectations which trust is built on. The expectations you mentioned build the opposite.