Pravda

You have got to read this article. And remember, this is what Russians read and believe (similar to the crap spewed by the New York Times). While I cannot argue with certain observations, such as the fact that American strip malls look the same everywhere, the author does not put this in direct contrast with Russia. That is, the post-Soviet Russia of today which bears the scars of almost 90 years of communism.

http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/07-09-2006/84316-ugly-0

And in a similar vein, read the political commentary on the US in Pravda, too. There you will find a wealth of Russian paranoia about US motives -- I WISH that we could be so devious and clever as they presume. The idea sets up a conflict: how can such a "stupid" President -- with such incompetent staff which apparently knows nothing of the world at large -- be so clever as to be able to manipulate the Orange Revolution, the continuing succession of NATO entries, the demise of Russian competitiveness, Georgian and Chechen rebellions, etc.? Either we are stupid and ignorant, or we are devilishly clever, we can't be both.

Which makes me look at leftist thought in general ... is that exactly the position of liberals throughout the world. The people of the US are stupid, lazy, arrogant, culturally insensitive, imperialistic, interfering and ignorant of the true ways and wiles of the world. But we are also the devil, the Great Satan, the evil manipulator behind every misfortune that befalls mankind (oh, sorry, "personkind") everywhere. I am not sure that you can really reconcile the two. You can try, but that becomes a cynical exercise in double-speach/speak which has so many caveats, if, buts and whatever that the proponent looks more like that accused than the Great Satan(s) itself/themselves.