Russia, USA, Hysteria

[Arakan]

This forum has always had its fair shair of mostly American users with a almost pathological Russophobia. But since the election of Trump and the (likely) involvement of Russian intelligence agencies in the email hacking, things go crazy. Just read that Hillary Clinton said that the Russians did what they did because Putin wanted to take personal revenge on Hillary. Talking about delusional rofl. Dear Hillary, you as former SoS should actually now, that nothing between states is personal, the same as there are no friends between states but partners. 

As a non-American I find the whole hysteria rather embarrassing and slightly amusing and it shows that not only on the American right but also on the supposedly cosmopolitan American left many people still live in their own little bubble when it comes to really understanding the world. 

I have absolutely no problem with what the Russians did because this is what states do, when they have the power to do so. This is not a question about right or wrong, it's looking at the world how it is and I have the VERY STRONG feeling that many Americans now for the first time themselves are feeling what it means to be exposed to the power plays of foreign nations and to be played with. Welcome to the 21st century. 

I am German and so of course I have my own perspective. Officially we are "friends" and partners with the USA, for decades now. Reality is that the USA is spying on us for its own advantage, that the mobile phone of our head of government was hacked by US intelligence and that the USA for decades has been using its massive communications devices in my country for industrial espionage (ECHELON). Everyone in my country knows this, and we don't like it because this is not how you treat "friends" and "partners" but vassals. But we are realistic, Germans know that we are small and the USA is big and this is how the world works. 

My advice to all those Americans who are so hurt about the email stuff: welcome to the 21st century, get over it, get realistic and understand that this is what states do and that we are entering the MULTIPOLAR world of the post-cold war era. 

[Mr Fixit]

6 minutes ago, Arakan said:

I have absolutely no problem with what the Russians did because this is what states do, when they have the power to do so. This is not a question about right or wrong, it's looking at the world how it is and I have the VERY STRONG feeling that many Americans now for the first time themselves are feeling what it means to be exposed to the power plays of foreign nations and to be played with. Welcome to the 21st century. 

Well said. Dear Americans, welcome to our club. The one where foreign powers regularly meddle into our internal affairs. How do you like it? Feels nice, doesn't it? So please dial down the outrage. Looks a bit petty, not to mention hypocritical.

[Savannah]

There's plenty of russophiles and even plain  vatniks  here to tackle the perceived phobia. 

Europe should fear Russia, it's a rational fear and European states should be prepared for what they might try.