Russia is 1) not that powerful by far, 2) its elites, those very ones spoken about when expressing these conspiracy theories, are pissing hot water from a mere hint of being friends with any US administration.
They have sort of an inferiority complex, there was recently a damned TV report, apparently, about an American diplomat visiting a cafe and ordering a cheburek (Central Asian street food). It’s so much bootlicking that one can confidently say Russia’s elites are much bigger US fans than Russians in average.
They might be unintentionally making the effect you described upon the US, while trying to somehow become part of its processes, but it’s a small nudge compared to the more serious reasons.
I think this is because the people who are now Russia’s elite came to power in the 90s, a lot of ex-Soviet people looked at the situation pretty simply - as in “we were the losing superpower in this cold war thing, now it’s ended and we are friends, so we are going to become like America in those movies with white middle class people all owning cars and houses”, and those of them who were doing politics, apparently, wanted to have their own political system as “cool” (or whatever, some immeasurable feeling) as the American one.
The Iron Curtain was a huge mistake, people who put it in place were thinking in 30s categories when the 30s were long gone. People inside thought that they only put barriers before you to protect something you’d want to have. A generation of Soviet people grew with that feeling, where everything Soviet was boring and bad, and everything Western magical and good. It wasn’t even about freedom or morality. Just about “coolness”. People breaking the USSR in the 80s and 90s knew that the world around it isn’t virtuous and kind, but they thought it’s “cooler”. Everyone thinks they’d do well when put into an adventure, when safe. Nobody thinks they’ll be some guy who gets eaten by a crocodile on the second page, or a coward, or an idiot, or a sucker.
So. When the Russian “wide mass” realized that for the West it consists of suckers and crocodile fodder, it became disillusioned and the wound healed, except for some rare idiots who kept believing into that picture, not being exposed to reality.
When the Russian elites realized that, they just decided to lower the bar, and be content with playing US sometimes, and getting US citizenship for themselves and their children, and being there often, and playing with US politics. I don’t think it’s directed at somehow corrupting and undoing the US, simply not enough power. They are just regularly touching in the shop something they can’t afford to buy.
Russia wanted the us bankrupt and as corrupt as them.
Russia is 1) not that powerful by far, 2) its elites, those very ones spoken about when expressing these conspiracy theories, are pissing hot water from a mere hint of being friends with any US administration.
They have sort of an inferiority complex, there was recently a damned TV report, apparently, about an American diplomat visiting a cafe and ordering a cheburek (Central Asian street food). It’s so much bootlicking that one can confidently say Russia’s elites are much bigger US fans than Russians in average.
They might be unintentionally making the effect you described upon the US, while trying to somehow become part of its processes, but it’s a small nudge compared to the more serious reasons.
I think this is because the people who are now Russia’s elite came to power in the 90s, a lot of ex-Soviet people looked at the situation pretty simply - as in “we were the losing superpower in this cold war thing, now it’s ended and we are friends, so we are going to become like America in those movies with white middle class people all owning cars and houses”, and those of them who were doing politics, apparently, wanted to have their own political system as “cool” (or whatever, some immeasurable feeling) as the American one.
The Iron Curtain was a huge mistake, people who put it in place were thinking in 30s categories when the 30s were long gone. People inside thought that they only put barriers before you to protect something you’d want to have. A generation of Soviet people grew with that feeling, where everything Soviet was boring and bad, and everything Western magical and good. It wasn’t even about freedom or morality. Just about “coolness”. People breaking the USSR in the 80s and 90s knew that the world around it isn’t virtuous and kind, but they thought it’s “cooler”. Everyone thinks they’d do well when put into an adventure, when safe. Nobody thinks they’ll be some guy who gets eaten by a crocodile on the second page, or a coward, or an idiot, or a sucker.
So. When the Russian “wide mass” realized that for the West it consists of suckers and crocodile fodder, it became disillusioned and the wound healed, except for some rare idiots who kept believing into that picture, not being exposed to reality.
When the Russian elites realized that, they just decided to lower the bar, and be content with playing US sometimes, and getting US citizenship for themselves and their children, and being there often, and playing with US politics. I don’t think it’s directed at somehow corrupting and undoing the US, simply not enough power. They are just regularly touching in the shop something they can’t afford to buy.