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Originally Posted by LoBlo
Just out of curiousity Kapitan. Would you say there is still a good amount of anti-American sentiment in Russia? I can tell you first hand that in America, Russia is no longer considered an enemy at all... a turbulent country with a semi-tenuous political environment yes... but an enemy no.
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I can tell you even more exactly (being a Russian).
The attitude of Russians was always very different from what an American might normally think. Actually, my perception is that many Americans DO see Russia as an enemy still...
Anyway - the vast overwhelming majority of Russians have never hated America as an enemy, and probably a large proportion actually always liked Americans. On the other hand, in a very typical fashion for that culture, they had and have a very suspicious attitude towards America, which can sometimes border on paranoia. Which is why many Russians are offended by the attitude Americans have towards it and its political environment now - sure they're not happy with things as they are in the country, but nothing gets them going more than America pointing a finger at it. They (and I too) believe that noone really has the right to do that.
I think one thing that Americans should be aware of is that there is such a thing as a 'Russian Way' (which Russians themselves can't quite articulate, either), and they take serious offense at anyone they perceive as meddling in their affairs (both at the government and popular level). Superpower or not, Russia is a state with very well-defined and broad-spanning interests. As soon as these interests are brought into question, Russians get miffed.
Again, I stress: most Russians like the average American. But most Russians have no interest in becoming the average American. They will insist on seeing the world their own way and don't take kindly to it being questioned by outsiders.