Anti-Americanism: A Perfect Addition to a Russian Authoritarian's Political Toolbox - Vladimir Putin's History from the KGB to the Presidency, Corruption and Oligarchs, NATO, How Can America Cope?

This report has been professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction. This study analyzes anti-Americanism in Russia during the era of Vladimir Putin. The objective is to evaluate Vladimir Putin's anti-Americanism and the political implications of Putinist anti-Americanism within Russia.

The central questions that this study strives to answer are: (1) What are the roots of Vladimir Putin's anti-Americanism and the anti-American tendencies of segments of the Russian populace from the 1990s to the present day; (2) What is the relationship between the progression of Putin's anti-Americanism and the anti-American sympathies of the Russian public; and (3) What are the potential domestic political benefits garnered by Putin's hybrid authoritarian regime as a result of his anti-American rhetoric and policy positions? This study concludes that Vladimir Putin is inherently anti-American and the Russian populace's anti-American mood is directly manipulated by Putin. Putin employs the mechanics of his state to propagate anti-Americanism within Russia for domestic political reasons.

I. PUTINIST AUTHORITARIANISM AND ANTI-AMERICANISM: AN INTRODUCTION * A. PURPOSE * B. IMPORTANCE * C. HYPOSTUDY AND THEORY * D. BACKGROUND * 1. Putin's Evolving Anti-Americanism * 2. Putin's Hybrid-Authoritarian Machine * 3. Implications of Russians' Anti-Americanism * E. METHODOLOGY AND SOURCES] * F. ROADMAP * II. VLADIMIR PUTIN'S ANTI-AMERICANISM: OUTWARDLY FLUCTUATING BUT INTERNALLY CONSISTENT? * A. PUTIN'S EARLY HISTORY * 1. Early Life and College * 2. Into the Shadows: Putin in the KGB and the Case for a Long Term Cognitive Predisposition * B. YELTSIN ERA * 1. Putin in the Aftermath of Collapse * 2. Russia and the West in the 1990s: U.S. as an Inadvertent Contributor to Putinist Anti-Americanism * a NATO * b. Balkans * c. Economic Collapse and the Absence of U.S. Aid * C. PUTIN: A SUDDEN THRUST INTO THE LIMELIGHT * 1. Putin's Short-Lived Premiership and Acting Presidency * a. Crisis in Chechnya * b. Presidential Election of 2000 * D. PUTIN'S FIRST PRESIDENCY * 1. Integrate Into or With the West. or Neither? * 2. The Attacks of 9/11 and the Aftermath * 3. Brotherly Love: Putin and Bush * 4. Iraq and a Sudden Turn Against America? * 5. Elections of 2003 and 2004 * E. PUTIN'S SECOND PRESIDENCY * 1. Shift from the West * 2. America Inadvertently Plays into Putin's Hand * a. NATO * b. The Future of U.S. Unilateralism * c. BMD * d. Western Turn by Former Constituent States * 3. Critical Reciprocity? Attack on Those who Criticize Him * F. PRESIDENT TO PUPPETMASTER AND BACK AGAIN: PUTIN'S RECENT PREMIERSHIP AND RETURN TO THE PRESIDENCY* 1. Georgia * 2. The Obama-Medvedev Reset: Short Lived or DOA? * 3. The 2012 Election and Putin's Third Term * 4. Ongoing Events * G. CONCLUSIONS * III. VLADIMIR PUTIN'S RUSSIA: BETWEEN DEMOCRACY AND DICATORSHIP? * A. WHAT MAKES AN AUTHORITARIAN STATE? * 1. True Authoritarian States * 2. Hybrid Authoritarian States * B. PUTIN'S AUTHORITARIAN CONTROLLED DEMOCRACY: THE MECHANISMS * 1. Attack the Yeltsin Years * 2. State Control and Resource Theory * 3. Maintaining the Illusion * a. "Democratic" Elections * b. Political Parties * C. ROLE OF ELITES AND THE PUBLIC IN PUTIN'S MACHINE: AN AUTOCRAT STILL ANSWERABLE TO OTHERS? * 1. Elites * 2. The Public at Large * D. CONCLUSION * IV. THE POLITICS OF ANTI-AMERICANISM * A. POLLING PERSPECTIVE ON THE RUSSIAN PUBLICS' ANTI-AMERICANISM * 1. The Pre-Putin Years * 2. Under Putin: Fluctuating or as Steady as Putin? * B. ANTI-AMERICANISM OF THE ELITES * 1. Disenchantment Under Yeltsin * 2. Anti-Americanism to Demonstrate one's Political Bona Fides * C. PUTIN'S POLITICAL BENEFITS FROM ANTI-AMERICANISM