An Ice Age prevails between Russia and the West. Hardly a day goes by without a new horror story coming out of the “Evil Empire.” Why is this? Is it really about human rights and Western values? Or is this a sign of anti-Russian feelings that have a long tradition in German history? And how come is it always those states that are geostrategic challenges for the West, which are targeted? In her new book, Gabriele Krone-Schmalz warns of a backslide into the simple thought patterns and clear images of the enemy that were predominate during the Cold War. Vladimir Putin’s goals are expansive, it is claimed, and he threatens Poland and the Baltic states. But on what basis are these conclusions actually drawn? Who acts, who reacts? Which policy should we pursue: containment through deterrence or change through rapprochement? These questions should be openly debated. Instead, dissenters are defamed and marginalized as defenders of Russia. Despite the fact that this concerns the most important question of all: the peaceful coexistence with our neighbors. Gabriele Krone-Schmalz was the Russia correspondent for the German ARD public television network from 1987 to 1991 and then was the moderator of the ARD Cultural World Mirror until 1997. Since 2011, she has been a professor of television and journalism at the Iserlohn College. She is a member of the Petersburger Dialogue and, as the leading Russia expert in Germany, she makes regular television appearances. C.H.Beck has also published her book Russland verstehen (Understanding Russia, 2016).