Russia, a country that has been for so long at odds with the United States. Ever since the end of the Second World War 75 years ago, the US and Russia have been rivaling nations which have been at the brink of nuclear war. Many people thought that the two countries could learn to co-exist after the fall of the Soviet Union and the following westernization of Russia. Despite all of this, many Americans share unfavorable opinions of Russia, and very often the country is portrayed as aggressive and warmongering on the news and in the media. What many don’t understand is that the media portrays Russia as a boogeyman and with little substance.

I have dual citizenship, one with the United States, and one with Russia. Although I was born in the United States much of my family lives in Russia and many were born during the cold war. All of them hold semi favorable opinions of the United States. Many don’t agree with everything we are doing in the world and at home, but everyone I’ve come across respects the United States and sees a future for cooperation. Why is it here, so many view Russia as almost evil?

The dilemma really shows in how both people view the role of their nations. Russians view themselves as a regional power that really just does what it thinks is best for themselves, while Americans often view their country as a sort of world police that upholds and fights for the rights of all people. This sort of thinking really shined when Russian annexed a portion of Ukraine in 2014 starting a diplomatic incident between itself and the United States.

Russians saw the land they took as rightfully theirs, and they saw that most of the people that lived in the territory of Crimea as Pro-Russian. So, what they saw as a dispute between them and their neighbor, and one that they were right in, we saw as aggressive expansion similar to that of what fascist dictators had done in Europe in the 1930s.

I got to see what both sides said about each other. I got American news from my phone and Russian news from the Television as I was vacationing in the country at the time. American sources said it was aggressive and illegal, while Russians said it was right and just. Russians saw America as being aggressive for sticking their noses somewhere that was thousands of miles away, while the United States saw Russia as a neighborhood bully that needed to be taught a lesson.

What this goes to show is that the image that we see, on both sides, of the opposing country, is really what the media and government want us to see. Instead of bickering about who is right and who isn’t both countries should aim to respect each other and possibly even cooperate in the future. I know for a fact that Russia has little interest outside of its region and in reality is just trying to find its place in a post Soviet world. If more Americans saw Russia the way I do, the world would see a dramatic easing of tension and a great friendship between two great countries.