Ukraine's European Revolution?

[Ed Anger]

Russians who see US negatively, via @levada_ru:
March 2012: 35%
March 2013: 39%
January 2014: 44%
March 2014: 56%
http://www.levada.ru/18-03-2014/otnoshenie-rossiyan-k-drugim-stranam ...

THANKS OBAMA

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[DontSayBanana]

Apparently the Ukraine crisis is going to kill NATO:

Why the Russian invasion of Crimea could signal the end of the NATO alliance, by Professor Michael Ben-Gad, City University London.

"The likely outcome of the Russian absorption of Crimea and the subsequent feeble response from the West signals the fracturing and potentially the ultimate demise of NATO and the Western Alliance.

"In fact, it may already be too late to save NATO, and the small Estonian city of Narva is where it might well fall apart.

"Perhaps in the not too distant future, Russian border guards will be told to walk the 400 metres across the empty field that separates Narva's town hall from the Russian border, and help the locals seize control of their city.

"How might the US and its Western allies respond? Would they send troops to push the Russians back? In Estonia? How would they get there? And what then? Is NATO then prepared to then head north and re-enact the siege of Leningrad? Would it threaten nuclear war? Over Narva?

"The lazy assumptions that the NATO alliance will continue to guarantee the sovereignty and freedom of its European allies can no longer be taken for granted.

"Those opposed to the maintenance of an independent nuclear capability in either the UK or France might want to think again."

Thank God you beat Siege to this one.  Otherwise, I'd have to go to work drunk.

[DGuller]

I'm surprised the spike only started after Ukrainian events, given the virulence of anti-American propaganda on Russian state TV stations for a while now.

[Sheilbh]

Yeah, I'm surprised so few Russians see the US negatively

[Queequeg]

I think Britain is actually pretty coherent as a unit, both genetically and culturally. 

There is sure some strikingly homogenous facial structures walking around here, which is kind of odd coming from Hungary, where everyone is a product of constant mixing of Slavs, Turks, Germans, and remnants of Uralic "material".

http://www.amazon.com/Saxons-Vikings-Celts-Genetic-Britain/dp/0393330753/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395330545&sr=1-3

Read that maybe 2-3 months ago, worth it if you have any interest in British history. 

[Queequeg]

I'm surprised the spike only started after Ukrainian events, given the virulence of anti-American propaganda on Russian state TV stations for a while now.

TBH there's probably more a sliding scale than those numbers would suggest.  Maybe 80% of Russians think the USA government is evil and works to actively thwart Holy Rus in all of it's endeavors, but 30% of those think that Americans as a people are still okay.   

[Agelastus]

I, for one, am glad that Aggie is keeping grumbles distracted.

Not even I am willing to wade through that!  tl;dr

You win, Age.  Congrats.

If I hadn't already poured myself one earlier I'd immediately "open the bar" and reach for the Calvados.

[Barrister]

I'm surprised the spike only started after Ukrainian events, given the virulence of anti-American propaganda on Russian state TV stations for a while now.

Surely modern Russian citizens know to take the media fairly skeptically by now.

[derspiess]

I'm surprised the spike only started after Ukrainian events, given the virulence of anti-American propaganda on Russian state TV stations for a while now.

Surely modern Russian citizens know to take the media fairly skeptically by now.

[DGuller]

I'm surprised the spike only started after Ukrainian events, given the virulence of anti-American propaganda on Russian state TV stations for a while now.

Surely modern Russian citizens know to take the media fairly skeptically by now.

You would think that, living in Canada, but unfortunately it doesn't really work that way.  First of all, Russians are not exactly the people with the most developed critical thinking skills.  Secondly, even the most skeptical person would buy into bits and pieces of propaganda, when that's virtually all the information available to him.

[Tamas]

I'm surprised the spike only started after Ukrainian events, given the virulence of anti-American propaganda on Russian state TV stations for a while now.

Surely modern Russian citizens know to take the media fairly skeptically by now.

No modern people today anywhere, as a general rule, know to take the media sceptically. Countries like Russia where it has been the standard to have the Higher Ups tell you what is what and surest way to advance was to echo official sentiments and ideology (since, like, forever), such a sceptical view will be introduced extremely slowly.

[celedhring]

Dunno, for some reason I get the feeling everyday Russian Ivan Ivanovich doesn't give that much of a damn about the whole thing. There was a government-backed demo in Moscow shortly after the non-invasion by the non-Russians and the attendance was pretty pitiful for a city the size of Moscow.

[Barrister]

Dunno, for some reason I get the feeling everyday Russian Ivan Ivanovich doesn't give that much of a damn about the whole thing. There was a government-backed demo in Moscow shortly after the non-invasion by the non-Russians and the attendance was pretty pitiful for a city the size of Moscow.

Precisely.  They know their own government has been lying to them for years and years.

Remember there were some massive street protests in Moscow just a couple years ago protesting the most recent election.  An awful lot of people aren't buying the party line anymore.

[Tamas]

That is different than being anti-US.

I mean, attitude to the US is indifferent at best everywhere I have been to in Europe. Most Hungarians despise it, out of jealousy, mostly. I have no reason to believe that the Russians would be the exception to this rule.

[DGuller]

Dunno, for some reason I get the feeling everyday Russian Ivan Ivanovich doesn't give that much of a damn about the whole thing. There was a government-backed demo in Moscow shortly after the non-invasion by the non-Russians and the attendance was pretty pitiful for a city the size of Moscow.

Precisely.  They know their own government has been lying to them for years and years.

Remember there were some massive street protests in Moscow just a couple years ago protesting the most recent election.  An awful lot of people aren't buying the party line anymore.

Knowing that the government is lying to them, and buying into the propaganda, are not mutually exclusive concepts.