More and more Americans are seeing their former constitutional republic dismantled, their rights taken, a huge USSR-like police/security state apparatus put in place, US sovereignty thrown to the wind by the globalist (e.g, no southern border = no country), the military used as a mercenary force of the globalists to force their agenda on other countries, the "mainstream media" turn into an integrated propaganda network, the social order undermined, culture/heritage/religion attacked, and deranged behavior normalized.
Do most or many Russians still view the US as a society and country to admire or do the see it more like I've just described?
Quoting: Anonymous Coward 71765579 I don't think Russians ever seen the US as a country to admire...
But, well, I'm not Tamonten so I'm interested in his answer, too.
I should have said as a country to serve as a model with respect to the situation after the collapse of the USSR, or something like that. That's what I meant.
But your response is interesting. What would have been a common view of the US by Russians?
As to an American view of Russia, most Americans probably know very little about Russia (many probably don't really even know where it is - sounds stupid, huh?) and what they think they know is from what they were told about the former Soviet Union.
I think they hoped for partnership, based on mutual respect, on political and economical fields. There was big opportunity start the whole new chapter after the fall of the Iron Courtain. Instead, certain groups within the US political system tried to spoil the situation in their favor and attempted to take over the control over the Russian natural resources. With actions like missile shield and NATO's march towards Russia anti-western/anti-US sentiment slowly came back to life.
You are mostly right, Zod.
There's a saying - I've heard it from Solovyov, but I'm not sure if he's the author of the quite: "We knew that everything that Soviet propaganda said about our country was utter nonsense and thought that what it said about the West was of the same kind. It turned out though that that particular part was actually true."
Yeah, in 90s Russia was the most US-admiring country out there. We were ready to take in just everything from them. "Western" and "American" were best signs of quality, while "domestic" was considered an insult. Trust placed on US and West in general was unprecedented.
All of it has ended abruptly in 1999 with bombings of Yugoslavia. Even everdrunk Yeltsin that usually did not care about anything at the point was enraged. U-turn of Primakov's plane over the Atlantic was also an U-turn in public opinion and state policy.
As simple as that.
As for the view of US... Actually, now it strikingly reminds of the last years of Soviet Union in many aspects. One of which is this very overwhelming and amazingly stupid propaganda on par with Suslov's doctrine. Those Russians who care to read Western sources at all are often amazed how strikingly one resembles another.
Just one example: there was quite obvious contradiction in Soviet informational doctrine. It simultaneously was continuously declaring that capitalism is on the verge of collapse and so the victory of socialism is inevitable. On the other side, it was declared that "We must catch up to and overcome the US".
And now... On the one side "Russia is a regional power with economy in shambles" which is peacefully coexisting with "Russia ruins our elections, undermines our Democracy" and so on.
But, well, it won't be right to say there are no fans of US in Russia now. I believe, recent elections are quite representative. 3.5% of adult population sees something positive in the West. If combining Sobchak, Yavlinskiy and Titov's shares. Understanding of course that they are quite different in their standings, but all of them can be called "liberals" or "westerners" in one part or another.
