#6
The Russia Journal
April 19-25, 2002
Russian anti-Americanism and construction of public opinion
By PETER LAVELLE

Public-opinion polls on the popularity of the United States among Russians are very curious. I am never really sure if the questions asked attempt to gauge the popularity of the United States or some of things the United States is doing or has done. I am still convinced that public-opinion polls, if they have any veracity at all, only desire to determine what is unpopular. Public-opinion polls on politics serve the interests of the state in Russia. However, we are often led to believe otherwise.

A case in point is Boris Kagarlitsky’s Moscow Times piece "Roots of Anti-Americanism." He provides a reasonable breakout of who is anti-American among the elite. He is right that anti-Americanism is a tool in the hands of part of the political elite. Unfortunately, Russia’s political elite constructs most public opinion; it does not reflect it. Kagarlitsky is good at description but a bit light in the area of analysis. Kagarlitsky must be a sociologist of elites.

In reality, most Russians don’t have an opinion on anything related to politics. Yes, I am constantly reminded by my non-Russian friends of the anti-American feelings during the bombing of Belgrade. That "outrage" against the United States lasted as long as the media dwelled on the subject. The events of Sept. 11 did engender a modicum of sympathy for Americans, but not much more either way. Some polls claim the level of anti-Americanism increased with the invasion of Afghanistan. I work and have contact with hundreds of Russians on a daily basis; the subject is almost never brought up. In short, politics in an everyday sense just does not cut the mustard here. Actually, I hear more about the politics of oil.

The Olympic Games were different. Indeed there was a dislike, albeit a media-enhanced one, of the United States during the trails and tribulations of the Russian team. Dig a little deeper, and we would probably find something very encouraging about this criticism beyond the hype whipped up by the political elite. It had less to do with disliking America than being concerned with the fate of athletes with familiar names and faces. If I am right, this means the civil-society project may have some meaning for some Russians.

What is often overlooked is the fact the average Russian knows far more about the United States than his or her counterpart in the United States knows about Russia. Every evening Russia’s major TV networks have a story on the United States. American TV serials flood the airwaves. MTV invades many a household. Russians have a lot of material at hand to draw conclusions about the United States, Americans and the American lifestyle. It is no wonder that Russians form cultural and social opinions about themselves in juxtaposition to Americans. Regrettably, the cultural and social are rarely translated into the political. Politics is still something that only goes on up above.

Though Americans might not think so, there are good reasons to be legitimately wary of, and even dislike, the United States. The first thing that comes to my mind is hypocrisy. U.S. foreign policy is a progressive revelation. The United States, it would seem, has the right to determine who are the good guys or bad guys depending on national self-interest at a particular moment. Preaching the ideal of free trade goes as far as local political concerns do. Terrorists are only people who don’t like the United States. The list is very long. The current Palestinian-Israeli conflict is the most glaring example of United States naivete and indifference to nuances. Believing the average Russian cannot see the difference is insulting. The fact that many do not formulate a strong opinion on these subjects is lamentable. And, even if they did, should this be considered anti-Americanism?

At the end of the day, the level of Russian anti-Americanism is inversely related to the perception of self-content and sense of national pride. Russians are painfully aware of their country’s weaknesses. They are angry and resentful about Russia’s present. While many in the political elite go to extremes to blame Russia’s misfortunes on the United States, most Russians understand their own traditions and politics very well – few in the elite give a hoot about the fate of Russia and the average Russian.

Thus, is disliking something America has done the same as anti-Americanism? I think clearly not. Public-opinion polls often have a built-in bias. Often questions on politics create awareness of certain issues that may not really be there. Opinion polls rarely gauge the political sophistication of the test sample as well. Russians certainly think about the United States; they have little choice if they watch Russian TV. The level of importance the United States plays in their everyday life is most likely negligible. There are plenty of other things to think about.

When sociologists like Kagarlitsky write about anti-Americanism more consideration needs to be given to why such thoughts come to mind. One thing I have noticed about Russians: They hate being insulted by authority. They revel in never telling them what they really think.

Peter Lavelle is head of research at a Moscow-based brokerage.

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