Abbas Gallyamov: the image of the internal enemy displaces the external enemy

Attempts to label protesters as American agents backfired

And here is another important result of the summer confrontation between the authorities and the opposition.

From May to August, the number of Russians who feel good about the US rose from 31 percent to 42 percent. The number of those who treat America badly has fallen from 52 to 44. These data were published today by the Levada Center.

So, the number of Russians who perceive the United States positively has almost equaled the number of those who still have a bad attitude towards America. Attempts to label the protesters as American agents have backfired. Well, since the people protesting against authoritarianism are American agents, then America is not so bad, the Russian layman decided, she is on the right side of the barricade.

It is obvious that the image of an internal enemy in the domestic political consciousness displaces the external enemy.

The number of citizens who have a positive attitude towards the European Union, by the way, has also grown. Now it is 50 percent, not 37, as in May. Now 34% instead of 44% have a negative attitude towards the EU.

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