Could a Second Cold War Happen?
S. Mogilevets
Sasha Mogilevets and her friend Yara with Yara’s aunt, Anya, near the Krasnoya Oblast in Moscow, Russia.
The summer of 2016, my friend Yara and I flew to Russia to visit her extended family. Both of our families are from the Soviet Union, so we decided to explore Russia and get an insight of the country. The moment I stepped off the plane, I knew something wasn’t right. I understood that I was in a new country, with new people surrounding me and I felt unwelcome. Don’t get me wrong, this was one of the best trips I’ve ever experienced however, something felt unsettling.
When I landed, my luggage got lost and I had to wait in a long line. After an hour of standing in line, when I finally reached the desk, I was given nasty looks from the attendants, I assumed because of my age. They immediately noticed I was an American citizen and I sensed their judgment.
I stayed in Russia for a month and within this course of time, I was excluded from different activities, made fun of, and almost mugged by a man who was dressed in a Mickey Mouse costume. To elaborate more on the Mickey Mouse story, my friend and I were walking around and got lost. The man that was dressed in the costume noticed that we weren’t very confident on our directions and while we weren’t looking tried to steal my wallet. Thankfully, I noticed and slapped his hand away and left.
These consecutive events, after I landed surprised me because my parents are from this country and I would never expect these Russian citizens to treat one of their own this way.
There are many American citizens who either don’t have a lot of knowledge of what’s going on in Russia or are just not interested in educating themselves about Russian culture. The Russian government’s main priority is to be the most powerful country. I’ve spent a lot of time talking to Russian citizens who have knowledge about both countries and are therefore unbiased. However, majority of Russian citizens follow Putin’s ruling and are all brainwashed by him.
Although most Russian citizens are propagandized, some have their own opinion on him, “Putin, the man who came to power in order to gain followers and money; and doing everything to save it, even while continuing to actively defend Russia’s national interests, he does so to strengthen his authority and significance in the eyes of the population,” said Elena Avaramenko, a family friend who lives in Russia.
Many conflicts started rising up because of the U.S. 2016 election and one big conflict that arose was President Trump and his partnership with Putin. Around 60 years ago there was a Cold War between the US and Russia, this past year Trump and Putin have been following the footsteps of this war.
Is this alliance leading the citizens of Russia and the United States the wrong way? The real reason for why Putin and Trump decided to become “allies” is be- cause they are both currently very booming nations and strive for the best.
Trump’s opinion on Putin isn’t necessarily friendly. Trump displays his affection towards Putin but clearly shows his lack of interest in his allies’ country which can spark some conflicts in the near future. Can their “friendship” start more conflicts? Can a second Cold War actually happen?
When I traveled to Russia, I noticed that the country was not diverse in race. I then remembered how long it took me to take my visa picture, wait for the actual visa to get entered, and then afterwards sent to the Russian Federation. The security is very tight and doesn’t let many “untrusted” visitors in their country; something Trump and Putin have in common.
Anyone who seems suspicious or has suspicious reasons for leaving the country isn’t accepted and their documents are sent back to them. This is important to know because Russian government, isolates themselves from other countries and doesn’t grant many requests to enter country.
I walked around trying to enjoy my time in this country and then out of nowhere I see a Pepe frog shirt with Trump’s face on it and I thought it was odd. I examined a souvenir shop and notice a wall with Donald Trump merchandise. I asked one of the coworkers why this is and they simply said, “We are required to do so by the Russian Government.” I was in complete shock when I later found a crate full of un-pur- chased t-shirts that had “Putin is our god” embroidered on them. All this new information was very peculiar and made me question, whether or not Putin is brainwashing Russian citizens.
Averamenko shared her opinion on Trump and said, “Trump, he looks like a circus bear, from which you never know what to expect. He can ride a bicycle for two days, and on the third day he unexpectedly attacks. You can think that you understand him and you know how he will act at this or that moment, and at some point he can do something completely incomprehensible and unexpected. Trump is unpredictable and eccentric.” she said. “He hides his real goals. The most dangerous thing is that he can get involved in any war, even a very large one, just to stay in power and in the history of mankind,” said Averamenko.
During my trip to Russia, I encountered many people who did not know the truth about America and its nature so they simply mix up all the information that was given to them through the news. After watching a segment from the Russian news, I found that a fair amount of the 30 minute news show was about America and making them look bad in the eyes of Russian citizens. We should all really consider investigating more about this topic, because one way or another this situation between USA and Russia will completely explode. The only ones who could actually mend this relationship and finish tying the knots between Putin and Trump are their citizens, us.
