Bov or friend? Shared world in the view of Russia

In the West, there is strong popular support for cutting economic ties with Russia. But in parts of Asia and South America it looks different – which could have consequences for the war.

– This means that one can not expect any strong opinion that goes against what governments do, says Professor Peter Wallensteen.

Among Swedes, 66 percent are in favor of stopping trade with the Putin regime, according to a new opinion poll conducted by the Alliance of Democracies. The figure is in line with what it looks like in Europe as a whole, a total of 55 percent of those surveyed on the continent believe that the economic moorings to Russia should be released.

The survey was conducted after the major invasion of Ukraine last winter, and also shows that 70 percent of Europeans have a negative view of the big neighbor to the east.

“Greater room for maneuver”

If you look elsewhere, however, the picture is different. In countries such as China, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Egypt and Algeria, a majority are in favor of Russia and also want to see a continued trade exchange.

The same is true of some Latin American nations such as Mexico and Peru.

– This means that one can not expect any strong opinion that goes against what the governments do. In this way, those in power can have more room for maneuver to do what they themselves consider most important, says Peter Wallensteen, senior professor of peace and conflict research at Uppsala University.

Shared worldview

He emphasizes that this reinforces the image that the actual resistance to the war via, for example, sanctions packages is something that is primarily concentrated in Europe and North America.

There are some common denominators behind the support for continued trade, according to Wallensteen. It is partly about realpolitik aspects, such as the fact that some countries, like Russia, are in territorial conflicts.

– Then, of course, you are dependent on deliveries from Russia and China in different ways, and then the states do not want to clash with them. Sometimes it can also be about sharing a worldview where it is believed that NATO and the Western world have become too overpowering. There are several components to this.

Difficulty agreed

Overall, the survey suggests that it will continue to be difficult to find a broader agreement to take action against Russia, which includes countries that have currently chosen not to act together with the US and the EU, says Peter Wallensteen.

– Of course, everything depends on what happens, for example, if nuclear weapons were to be used, the picture would change dramatically. But as it looks today, it is difficult to see an expanded international stance on sanctions against Russia, it is something you can read from these statistics.

Facts

The survey

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