The Russian man in the street never hated us. Their elites weren't religious fanatics. They were, as we discovered, old fashioned nationalists. Old fashioned imperialists. And increasingly corrupt ones at that. Their motives were comprehensible and they could be bribed.
Militant Islam is different. They can't be bought. Religious fanatics don't care about money. Look at the furor over the cartoons and tell me how much you trust these people.
Actually the Russians in the Soviet Union (and all of the other Republics) weren't permitted to speak their mind, which actually creates more similarity to the Middle East today.
Also, did you read the posts from Muslims who disdained the cartoon protest saying in effect, why should I get upset over cartoons when every time I hear a police car, I wet my pants?
1.2 billion people aren't a monolith. And they aren't going to disappear. What do you do?