A Russian image problem
Russia has hired internationally acknowledged PR companies, established foreign-language TV channels and international think-tanks. Despite the many efforts, Russian authorities still struggle to overcome deep-rooted international stereotypes about the country, the Moscow Times reports.
-Improving the image, especially in Europe and G8, is Russia’s biggest challenge, said Bertrand Malmendier, an international corporate lawyer connected to United Russia, the ruling pro-Kremlin party says to the newspaper.
-Russia remains a mystery to the outside world, he adds.
Over the last few years, Russian authorities have hired the PR companies Ketchum and GPlus Europe to lobby its interests. The RussiaToday TV channel has been established and several international think-tanks have been opened, among them the European office of the Center for Social and Conservative Policy in Berlin.
Russian strength
Despite the economic success of today, and an increasingly favourable business climate, Russia still appears to struggle with an image paradox.
With Central Bank reserves of 551.5 billion USD, Russia has the third-largest reserves in the world and gross domestic product grew sevenfold to more than 9,000 USD per capita over the last ten years. In addition to economic success, the country has also had several recent cultural and sport successes, the latest of them the national soccer team’s performance in the Euro2008.
Foreign scepticism
Vladimir Pozner, anchor at Channel One television and president of the Russian Television Academy agrees that Russia still looked at with scepticism in the world. -There’s profound prejudice against Russia for whatever reason in the world. It has a negative image, he said at a recent conference.
-The anti-Russia attitude should not come as a surprise because many foreigners still view Russia as a threat, and events like the May 9 parade feed into the perception, said Patrick Van Bloeme, CEO of Harris Interactive’s French offices, which recently carried out a survey of Western attitudes toward Russia.
-Public opinion considers Russia to have a very strong leadership that makes them feel Russia could more easily be able to use military force, he added to the Moscow Times.
Critical journalists
Western journalists take umbrage at any suggestions of bias on their part, the Moscow Times continues.
-To improve Russia’s image, the Kremlin needs to do something about thousands of raider attacks a year, about siloviki taking over big business and regional administrations ripping off small and middle businesses, a journalist with a Western news magazine, asking for anonymity to speak her personal opinions frankly.
