American “Universal” Values and Russia

Abstract

Chapter 3 describes in greater detail the Russia discourse in American mainstream media. It identifies four media narratives of Russia—“transition to democracy” (1991–1995), “chaos” (1995–2005), “neo-Soviet autocracy” (2005–2013), and “foreign enemy” (since 2014). The space for debating Russia in the media has narrowed considerably since the mid-2000s, when Russia’s political system began to be viewed as a nondemocratic and increasingly anti-Western regime. Russia’s values were now viewed as incompatible with and inferior to those of the United States, which rendered relations with the Kremlin difficult, if not impossible. In the 2010s, US officials adopted this view partly from media influence and partly out of their own frustration with the Kremlin’s policies.