Are Russians Paranoid Toward Hillary Clinton?

Max Fisher, New York Times: Russia’s Hacks Followed Years of Paranoia Toward Hillary Clinton

Russia’s unprecedented intervention in the United States election came amid more than United States-Russia tension and Donald J. Trump’s praise of Vladimir V. Putin, the Russian president. It also coincided with a growing belief, in Moscow, that Russia faced an imminent threat in Hillary Clinton’s candidacy.

Mrs. Clinton is viewed in Moscow as innately hostile to Russia. Widely held conspiracy theories portray her as seeking to foment unrest that will return Russia to the chaos and depression of the 1990s. Even many government technocrats view her with suspicion that at times verges on paranoia.

She referred to these views at an event on Thursday, telling donors that Mr. Putin’s “personal beef” with her had driven Russia’s intervention in the American election.

Mark Galeotti, a Russia expert at the Institute of International Relations, based in Prague, said the Kremlin was consumed by something more urgent than petty revenge: self-preservation.

“It’s not just they didn’t like Clinton, but they actually thought that she represented a threat,” he said, describing Russia’s actions as a matter of “policy, not pique.”

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WNU Editor: The state of a relationship between heads of states does impact policy and behaviour. That is why when Hillary Clinton compared Russian President Putin to Hitler a few years back .... Hillary Clinton Compares Russian President Putin And Russia To Hitler And The Nazis (March 5, 2014) .... I mentioned then that this was a terrible mistake ... it was "crossing a line" that for Russians is unforgivable and can never be forgotten. That is why paranoia was (and is) not an issue here, it is more of a recognition (from the Kremlin point of view) that Hillary Clinton was someone who had no interest to pursue any diplomacy or meaningful discussions with the Russian leadership .... that she was more focused on confrontation and opposition to Russian interests. That is what Russia saw, and that is what shaped their opinion towards her. As to claims that Russia intervened in the U.S. election .... a story that is clearly going to be a part of the U.S. news cycle for a long time .... I have yet to see any evidence from the U.S. that this was the case .... nor have I seen any evidence that Russian hacking influenced the vote. What I have heard is a lot of media and Washingtion talk, claims, CIA leaks and threats .... but nothing to back it up .... just analysis and opinion .... no smoking gun. And while the Russian press was bias and hostile to Hillary Clinton .... RT and other Russian publications have a minimal to almost non-existent presence in the U.S. media landscape .... bottom line .... the American voter was not influenced by what the Russian government and media were saying. What influenced the American voter were other issues .... Hillary Clinton's message, Donald Trump's message, and who they felt represented their interests the most. That is why Hillary Clinton lost .... pure and simple.

Update: Russian Hacking May Have Helped Trump Win, but Russians Don’t Really Care (Huffington Post)