(Russia in Global Affairs) For Russians, the U.S. is an ideal composite image of an enemy and at the same time an object of desire. When Russia emerged from the ruins of the USSR and embarked on the path toward a free-market economy in the early 1990s, the United States was seen as a model of capitalist success and an example to strive for. Yet two decades later, anti-American sentiment in the country has never been higher. Why has Russia fallen so out of love with Uncle Sam?
The United States of America has for many decades occupied a unique place in the Russian national psyche. For Russians, the U.S. is an ideal composite image of an enemy and at the same time an object of desire.
In recent months, there has been a hike in anti-American sentiments in Russia: Opinion polls by the Levada Center pollster showed that in May, Russians' dislike of America reached a historic high. Currently, 71 percent of Russians say that they do not like the U.S., whereas in the early 1990s, the figure was under 10 percent. […]
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