American and Russian Publics View One Another Skeptically
George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin will attempt to rekindle their friendship at next week's Group of Eight summit and again in July at the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, but it may take more than smiles and handshakes to change the way the American and Russian publics each view the other country.
In general, Americans look at Russia with a friendly, if skeptical eye.
In a February Gallup poll, 53 percent had a favorable view of Russia; four in 10 said unfavorable. Most had moderate views on the matter, with fewer than one in 10 choosing each of the extreme positions; six percent said "very favorable" and nine percent said "very unfavorable."
Americans' assessment of Russia's allegiance to U.S. interests is more cautious. In a July Gallup survey 18 percent of Americans said they felt that Russia is a U.S. "ally," while 55 percent said that while it is friendly, it is not an ally. Twenty percent said it was either unfriendly or an enemy.
Russians also have mixed feelings. In a survey this month from the Yuri Levada Center, 45 percent of Russians said they have a good feeling about the United States, but an almost equal number, 43 percent, had a bad feeling. As in the U.S., these feelings tend to be lukewarm - only two percent said "very good" and 11 percent said "very bad."
On the policy side, Americans view Russian affairs as critical to the U.S. In the February Gallup poll, 40 percent said what happens in Russia is "vitally important" to the U.S. and another 40 percent said it was important, but not vital.
By Jennifer Agiesta |
June 1, 2007; 5:10 PM ET
Polls
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Posted by: filmex | June 2, 2007 4:38 AM
Filmex, you beat me to it.
May the Decider gaze penetratingly into Putin's eyes and find the goodness buried under the evil.
Posted by: Anonymous | June 2, 2007 9:24 AM
Filmex, you beat me to it.
Only the Bush Boy, with his incisive intelligence, vast knowledge, and profound understanding of human nature, could have believed that the former KGB head had undergone a conversion to democracy.
Posted by: Anonymous | June 2, 2007 9:26 AM
I've been following the forums the Russian BBC offers for comments by Russians on topics of current interest. Asked a few days ago to list Russia's friends and enemies, many responded by listing the US (along with Estonia, Poland, Georgia and the "200-year enemy, Britain") as a major enemy. People seem to be really panicking over those ABM sites in Poland and the Czech Republic, but then, how would we like it if - as somebody suggested - Russia put "defensive missles" in Venezuala? As some calmer writers noted, you have to bear in mind that presidential elections are upcoming. It wouldn't be the first time a government played the foreign enemies card, now would it?
Posted by: Anonymous | June 2, 2007 2:52 PM
filmex, "resident" or "president". "Resident" is the term for the head of intelligence in a Soviet (and probably now Russian) embassy
Posted by: gwgoldb | June 2, 2007 11:34 PM
filmex, "resident" or "president"? "Resident" is the term for the head of intelligence in a Soviet (and probably now Russian) embassy
Posted by: gwgoldb | June 2, 2007 11:34 PM
As an 10th generation American, who learned their language in school, I have traveled fairly extensively within Russia during the last ten years.
The Russian people whom I have met remind me of our generation who survived the Great Depression and WWII, or to put it another way, most are quite sympathetic to others and quite approachable. The standard of living for most is fifty years behind ours and much of their understanding of America is based upon Hollywood films.
Once while setting around a campfire in SE Siberia near Lake Baikal the others asked many questions about America. I told them the story of the lady from Manassas who severed her husband's penis. They already know all about that.
Putin? The responses I got were: "We are hopeful."
Americans? Most want to talk with Americans about everything under the sun.
Only a very few, mostly quite young, are argumentative, which may reflect local media coverage.
American Chickens? Most Russians do not understand our free market system and blame the US Government itself for selling poor quality chickens that some Russian company bought and is marketing as "American" chickens. They don't seem to understand that the US Government is not in the Chicken Business.
Posted by: Bob Kern | June 3, 2007 8:09 AM
When I was in a university as a undergraduate and in my first political science class my professor gave us the argument that a bipolar world with two nuclear super powers was the best of all possible worlds. I'm talking about the real world. And later in graduate school at Duke University a few books I was required to read noted the fact that all nation-states that have ever tired to be a world power or had been a world power have gone to ruin a relatively short time. I truly believe that both of these arguments sound and true. These states become filled with immorality and corruption, and then bankrupt. That is why it was the most stupid idea in history to bring down Russia. And we American probably might pay for it.
Posted by: Sara Martindale-Raptis | June 4, 2007 10:25 AM
The comments to this entry are closed.
My first impression would be to say that Russia is on a greased path returning to its evil totalitarian days, shutting down media, and assassinating political opponents in what has all the signs of rushing back to the darkest days of the KGB.
But then again, Bush looked in Putin's eyes, saw the man's soul, and declared he "is a good man".
I can't argue with the Resident. He hasn't been wrong yet.