Before I left for Russia three weeks ago a well traveled friend questioned why I was going? “What’s the appeal?” she asked. I was stunned. Aside from the fact that it is a superpower in a moment of major transition, Russia has been one of the West’s most influential empires for centuries. Consider the art, literature, music, theater and ballets that have come out of the country. The significance of Tolstoy, Chagall, Tchaikovsky, Diaghilev, Rachmaninov, Chekhov and so many more. Its contributions...