Four Myths About Russia

In the past couple of years, Russia has been thrust into the American political spotlight like never before, earning itself both a reputation and mythology that posits Russia as the ultimate James Bond villain. At the heart of this mythology are misconceptions about Russia's aims, goals, and intentions that originate from an American media culture that is starved of intellectual diversity when it comes to Russia. That is, Russia is tarred as a pariah, an arch-nemesis of the United States, and the effective Alpha and Omega of political discord because there is no American counterweight to keep such caricatures in check.

Unfortunately, this mythological representation of Russia does not comport with reality, and the longer Americans continue to believe such unsubstantiated myths, the more U.S. policy-makers risk making foreign policy errors in regards to Russia.