What does the average American know about Russia? What does the average American care about Russia? What is the average American doing about Russia?
Well that largely depends on their age, their education, whether or not they are a Trump or DeSantis groupie, where they live in America, and what kind of vodka they drink. We venture light here but do define average by using surveys and studies others have made to define average.
One qualitative definition or profile of the Average American is not what I expected. According to census data the average American is a white female, between 30 and 34 years old, with German ancestors. Here is a broad statistical and sociological look that measure the difference between liberals and conservative on lots of topics including foreign trade, but not specifically about Russia. Here is a link to a good overview of the politics of Americans that informs them about Russia and Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Here is a very current, March 2023, report on where all Republican candidates perch themselves. The top two candidates for the Republican nomination for president next year represent over 75% of Republicans voters: Trump and DeSantis, do not believe that helping Ukraine is a matter of national security for the US, and Putin is not the problem — Joe Biden is.
Although Joe has the name associated with term “average Joe,” but he is seen as liberal and radical by a disturbingly high 40% of Americans. Here is a good profile of Americans on a wide range of political issues conducted by the reliable survey work of the Pew Research Center. Unfortunately, I was not able to find any surveys about how the average American feels specifically about Ukraine, Russia, Putin, future of NATO, etc. We do know, that in general, American attitudes on political matters, at home and abroad, do not correlate with a legislative or executive response. Presidents, judges, congressmembers don’t really care what Americans think, except how they are projected to vote every two or four years.
There are at least seven tiered groups in the US who claim knowledge, expertise, and understanding of Russia and Ukraine. There is no consensus and too many of these groups simply talk to be heard or shout for position. Some of them thrive on “alternative facts” of their own imagination. These groups and their characterization are not necessarily the views of Ukraine-Heart, they are the informed views of the author, Josh Hammond.
1. The National Security Industrial Complex, starting at the White House.
2. The Congressional Foreign Policy Committees, with no requirements they be bilingual or pass the rigorous Foreign Service Officer Test.
3. Military Industrial Complexes, a rotating door from military service to a job at a weapons or security firm making 5 to 15 times their military pay. There are more civilian security personnel in the US than there is military security specialist.
4. Republicans running for President of the United States, including one who made a “perfect” call to President Zellenskyy and those who aspire to make their own perfect calls.
5. Some academics and some Medium writers, with highest regard for Stanford University Professor Michael McFaul, former Ambassador to Russia. Some Medium writers are historians and have lived and worked in Ukraine, and some continue to do so.
6. Talking class, with paid Pharma ads, including the loose cannons at Fox.
7. Free-ranging Individuals with a social media megaphone of any size, like Elton Musk who owns Twitter and has a peace treaty all to his personal liking.
Sources you can’t trust.
If cable news and social media covered WW2 the way they are covering the war in Ukraine, we’d all be speaking German.
1. Most Republicans, except U.S. Senator Mitt Romney who was the first to warned everyone about Russia back in 2012 when it was not popular to say so. These Republicans are on the right side of Ukraine: Nikki Haley, former Governor of South Carolina and US Ambassador to the UN; former Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie; Governor Chris Sununu of New Hampshire; former governor of Arkansas Asa Hutchinson, and with some caution, US Senator from Florida Marco Rubio a sane voice on Ukraine from Florida, but flanked by two of political ostriches, roaming the beaches of Florida.
2. Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis who want to be pals with Putin. If Trump didn’t know where Puerto Rico was in the Caribbean, he probably can’t locate Ukraine on a map, and certainly not name any neighbors of Ukraine. Trump only knows countries where he has golf courses and where the Saudis pay him hundreds of millions to carry Putin’s water and poisons.
In Summary:
No international issue is a simple matter of dialogue. The goals are many, but ending the invasion, returning to the internationally recognized boarder lines of Ukraine It’s an opportunity for passion, rectitude, revenge, restitution, power, self-aggrandizement, and profit. In the case of the war in Ukraine, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has generated a lot of heated and polarizing debate in America, about what how the U.S. should respond these gross violations of international law, and this blatant attempt to destroy the rules-based system essential to democracies around the world.”
Here is the best analysis I have seen to date. I’m not a historian, I’m not a foreign policy expert, I’m just an average America that wants the breached international rules of order to be restored, borders to be respected, families to be reunited, and communities to rebuilt and all Russians who are “just taking orders,” to be held accountable for their mendacity and murder.
To answer the last question from our headline, what is the average American doing about Russia? Here is what Astronaut Scott Kelly, who knows Russia and has lived and worked with Russians in space and on earth is doing about the war and destruction in Ukraine. And he has attracted the support of some average Americans, Austrians, Bulgarians, Ukrainians, and a growing list of others.
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as oneJohn Lenon, Imagine
