Usa Vs Russia

In a rare moment of face-to-face diplomacy, a three-star Russian general stood by the American embassy in Baghdad and delivered a blunt message. Within the hour, the three-star general said, the Russian military would begin air strikes in neighboring Syria. It was a display of Cold War-level brinksmanship between two nuclear-armed giants.

For decades, the United States and Russia have avoided direct engagement in the name of mutually assured destruction. The United States has supported its ally Ukraine with tens of billions in financial and military aid while pushing back against Moscow’s incursion into Crimea.

Yet the US has also imposed broad sanctions on Kremlin-linked individuals and entities. It is working to expand its naval presence in the Baltic states, which Moscow views as a threat to its own long-range power projection capabilities. The United States and NATO members disagree about how far to push the confrontation with Russia, and when it crosses a red line that requires a military response.

Across the political spectrum, Americans view Russia as an enemy. But the percentage who do so is higher among the youngest and most educated Americans. Roughly eight-in-ten college graduates and those with some postgraduate education say the United States and Russia are enemies, compared to about six-in-ten in the middle of the American educational range and two-thirds with a high school diploma or less. These gaps reflect the continuing sense of polarization in American politics, which has led to more sharp differences between Republicans and Democrats on national security policy than in previous generations.