Russia emerged from the collapse of the old Soviet Union with a badly battered image. The Cold War actually officially sealed Russia’s fate as a chief enemy of the United States and that of U.S. numerous allies. But a slight change in foreign policies in the 80s and 90s drew Russia and the U.S. closer as the modern Russian leaders embrace significant changes in their foreign relations’ approaches and position their nation as a respecter of international laws and human rights. U.S. - Russia: Nuclear arms race Of special note is the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (old and new) which aims to reduce the amount of U.S. and Russian nuclear warheads, an issue the two countries have agreed on and gone ahead to destroy some of their nuclear weapons. However, this kind of good gesture isn’t enough for the whole world to believe Russia. More than ever before, considering the recent spate of actions undertaken by the Russians (Ukraine crisis, inclusive), the entire world is wary of Russia and its leaders. According to the recent surveys released by Pew Research Center, Russia and President Vladimir Putin do not fare well. The surveys reveal vividly that Russia and its leaders are viewed negatively around the globe. Russia comes behind the United States on how people in other countries hold a favorable regard for either the U.S. or Russia: An average of 30 percent in other countries see Russia favorably. Only 22 percent Americans believe Russia is a good country. In all the countries surveyed for this research, only 24 percent of people have a positive view of president Putin, which shows that they have less faith in the Russian leader when compared with President Barack Obama. In 26 countries, people’s opinions about Russia are more unfavorable than favorable. Two countries that have very strong negative sentiments about Russia and its leadership are Jordan and Poland (both at 80%). It is possible that Poland’s checkered historical relationship with Russia may contribute to the reason the country does not approve of Russian leaders’ attitude. Similarly, Jordan may have disliked Russia for the staunch support it has been giving Syria’s President Bashar-al Assad regime despite the amount of atrocities the president has inflicted on millions of his... More