The Puzzle of Russian Anti-Americanism: From ‘Below’ or From ‘Above’

Abstract

The author challenges the dominant view about the deep roots of anti-Americanism in the Russian mentality. Using historical analysis, paying particular attention to the oscillation of Russian public opinion, he shows that attitudes toward the United States in Russia have mostly been shaped by the ruling elite. The population almost instantly changed its stance toward America under the impact of the media controlled by the government.

Notes

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Press-Vypusk, Levada-tsentr, 6 October 2009, available at: http://www.levada.ru, accessed 11 December 2009; Press-Vypusk No. 951, VTSIOM, 7 June 2009, available at: http://wciom.ru, accessed 11 September 2009.

Press-Vypusk, Levada-tsentr, 8 November 2009, available at: http://www.levada.ru, accessed 11 December 2009.

Press-Vypusk, Levada-tsentr, 8 November 2009, available at: http://www.levada.ru, accessed 11 December 2009.

Press-Vypusk No. 1282, VTSIOM, 3 August 2009, available at: http://wciom.ru, accessed 11 September 2009.

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The Institute of Public Opinion, Qualitas Bulletin, 7, 2009.

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A. Gordon, ‘Amerikantsy ne byli na Lune’, available at: http://lunardome.com/news/2008-12-06-81, accessed 20 January 2010.

‘Brezhnev podderzhal Niksona vo vremya Uotergeitskogo dela’, 26 October 2007, available at:http://www.peoples.ru/state/king/russia/brejnev/news_brezhnev_podderzhal_niksona_vo_vremja_uotergejjtsk.shtml, accessed 11 September 2009.

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FOM database ‘The Bulletin’, 10 October and 28 December 2000, available at: http://www.fom.ru, accessed 11 December 2009.

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My study of attitudes toward the US, using the East View Universal Database of Russian central newspapers (http://www.eastview.com/).

‘Perezagruzka PRO’, Sovetskaya Rossiya, 22 September 2009.

See Putin's reaction to Obama's decision at: http://www.itar-tass.com/level2.html?NewsID=14344581&PageNum=0, accessed 11 January 2010.

On Medvedev's meeting with students and staff of the University of Pittsburgh see: http://www.kremlin.ru/news/5569, accessed 25 March 2010.

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Rem Shakirov, radio interview, Ekho Moskvy, 18 July 2007.