Creating Russophobia: From the Great Religious Schism to Anti-Putin Hysteria

by Guy Mettan

Why do the USA, UK and Europe so hate Russia? How it is that Western antipathy, once thought due to anti-Communism, could be so easily revived over a crisis in distant Ukraine, against a Russia no longer communist? Why does the West accuse Russia of empire-building, when 15 states once part of the defunct Warsaw Pact are now part of NATO, and NATO troops now flank the Russian border? These are only some of the questions Creating Russophobia iinvestigates. Mettan begins by showing the strength of the prejudice against Russia through the Western response to a series of the Uberlingen mid-air collision, the Beslan hostage- taking, the Ossetia War, the Sochi Olympics and the crisis in Ukraine. He then delves into the historical, religious, ideological and geopolitical roots of the detestation of Russia in various European nations over thirteen centuries since Charlemagne competed with Byzantium for the title of heir to the Roman Empire. Mettan examines the geopolitical machinations expressed in those times through the medium of religion, leading to the great Christian schism between Germanic Rome and Byzantium and the European Crusades against Russian Orthodoxy. This history of taboos, prejudices and propaganda directed against the Orthodox Church provides the mythic foundations that shaped Western disdain for contemporary Russia. From the religious and imperial rivalry created by Charlemagne and the papacy to the genesis of French, English, German and then American Russophobia, the West has been engaged in more or less violent hostilities against Russia for a thousand years. Contemporary Russophobia is manufactured through the construction of an anti-Russian discourse in the media and the diplomatic world, and the fabrication and demonization of The Bad Guy, now personified by Vladimir Putin. Both feature in the meta-narrative, the mythical framework of the ferocious Russian bear ruled with a rod of iron by a vicious president. A synthetic reading of all these elements is presented in the light of recent events and in particular of the Ukrainian crisis and the recent American elections, showing how all the resources of the West’s soft power have been mobilized to impose the tale of bad Russia dreaming of global conquest. “By hating Russia, one hurts oneself. Swiss journalist Guy Mettan pieces together the reasons of detestation of the Kremlin and of a rhetoric that goes back to Napoleonic times despite the long list of aggressions perpetrated in the meantime by the West. And he explains why pushing Moscow toward Asia is a very serious error.” —Panorama, Italy “Like Saddam Hussein’s mythical weapons of massive destruction in 2003, Peter the Great’s fake will has been used to justify the aggressions and invasions that the Europeans, and now the Americans, still carry out against Russia.” —Libération, France

Genres: History, Russia, Politics, Nonfiction

440 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no more important book published this year than this one. In this time period where xenophobia and racism has become acceptable by many in the West it is important to have this scholarly work by a Swiss member of parlement, breaking down the historic background for the current racist anti-Russian hysteria. He also explains why it's a danger to the whole world at large. Everyone should read this, Russian haters, and friends of Russia. For the xenophobes, it will help you understand and fear less, and for those of us working for peace in the world, this is great information and ammunition against the torrent of hatred towards the people of Russia.

[Homo Sentimentalis]

"Русофобија је почела пре него што је Русија ушла у историју."

Русија је можда и једина земља на свијету која у свом називу носи једну идеју, па у том смислу реченица изнад не треба да збуњује. Тјутчева ("Русија се не може схватити умом") је на Западу капирао једино Черчил ("Русија је ребус увијен у мистерију унутар једне загонетке"), док су остали покушаји њеног поимања углавном завршавали у рационалним ћорсокацима.

За разлику од других "национал-фобија", темељених најчешће на само једном камену, феномен русофобијe јединствен је по томе што има неколико аспеката. У том погледу је нарочито занимљив средишњи дио књиге у коме се генеалогија овог појма разматра на начин да се свакој од четири велике нације Запада приписује важан допринос, који је наредној нацији послужио као потка за надградњу. Тако хронолошки и спратовно имамо четири русофобије: француску (постављање идеолошког темеља), енглеску (подизање русофобије на ниво геополитике и медијске пропаганде), њемачку (русофобија као "оправдана" реакција на руске претензије према европском континенту) и америчку (сублимација претходне три, и оно што данас подразумијевамо под тим термином).

Енциклопедијске тривије и референце, којима књига обилује, инспиришу за даља проучавања на ову и сличне теме. Рекао бих додуше да аутору недостаје контемплативна црта да би једну овако захтјевну тему обрадио на прави начин; његов подухват више спада у домен истраживачког новинарства допуњеног историјско-психолошким увидима неголи озбиљну филозофско-историјску анализу. Ипак, с обзиром на хорско, а почесто и лудачко пљување по Русији (Метан чак уводи појам "антируски рефлекс" за такве ствари), похвално је кад се из тог дијела свијета зачује глас разума, па какав год био.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many, among my circle of friends, who are quick to jump on the "Stand with Ukraine" bandwagon because it is the politically correct thing to do, without trying to understand the undercurrent of the political situation.

Some parts of the book are convoluted and the writing style doesn't help. But overall, well researched and well argued.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mettan is right. I mean look at the burnt Russian Mosques around the World. And the Russian maids forcefully unveiled in public. And how the poor Russians are given pork meat to eat only that the devilish Westerners can laugh at the Russian Orthodox god. Or is that another community?

And who could not feel the need of the poor Russians to vote Putin as their only chance against Finnish tanks marching in duck step on the narrow streets of Moskow?

Now, letting the irony go, what is wrong with being careful with the Russians? They enslaved all the nations close enough. They are known for the Gulag, all sort of weapons and because of Wars. So maybe the world should be more careful with them and the violence they breed. After all, not many capital cities in Europe can pride themselves with a comparable number of political killings or bomb attacks.

The text only makes obvious the text is not intended for an audience outside Russia. It only rehashes the old propaganda with the sainthood of the Third Rome and how the heretic Catholics are hunting them down.

[Adalina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting ! I couldn’t put it down. The beef of the book - which were the chapters diving into the history of Russophobia by country - were a little overwhelming. There was just so many events, historical figures, writers, etc that I wasn’t familiar with so I had to re-read paragraphs and try to digest the information or look things up. But overall I loved this book and enjoyed it very much. There were many moments throughout my reading where I sat back and realized the logic of what he was writing and was amazed and impressed. I have lived in the US most of my life but was born in Russia - and I have sensed Russophobia around me. However I haven’t had the knowledge and understanding of the politics/history to really explain or make sense of that “feeling.” This book helped me with that 😌

[Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should be read by everyone who thinks they hate Russia. The script hasn't changed for 1000 years.

[Brendan Rascius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mettan’s thesis is that the West’s demonization of Russia goes back a thousand years and that its function today is to make American/European economic and military hegemony more palatable and even admirable (re: exporting democracy, vanquishing tyrants) for us westerners. The book doesn’t absolve Russia of its faults, but instead shows the reader dozens of examples of how Russian aggression is played up in the press while their efforts towards peace are minimized or erased. Mettan’s criticism of the media seems to draw a lot of themes from Chomsky’s Manufacturing Consent. The book is well-researched and worth a read.

[Sergey Gribkov · Rating 5 out of 5]

An antidote againts The Western Russophobia

Worth reading. Very good coverage of modern affairs. What is missing - a bit deeper excourse into Catholic Drang Nach Osten against Orthodox, oppression of Orthodox in occupied western Russian lands.

[Diana Thoresen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most important books to read given the irrationality of most Western regimes.

[Shamir Stephenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read. Gives a backround on the anti russian proganda going back to Charlagme etc...gives context to ancient struggle. Now its called nato\ USA vs Russia.

[Ksyu · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mettan was awarded the Russian medal of the Order of Friendship in February 2017 by Vladimir Putin.
Mettan's journalistic credibility has been questioned on several occasions. In 2017, Reporters Without Borders criticised Mettan for his pro-Russian militancy and for serving as a mouthpiece for Russian propaganda. Florian Irminger, Secretary General of the Swiss Green Party, also called Mettan an apologist for Putin's government. Following Mettan's support for the Ukraine bioweapons conspiracy theory in a Die Weltwoche essay in 2022, Swiss magazine Republik referred to the article as a "breathtaking compendium" of Russian propaganda.

[_maestro_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is a must read to understand the present, past and future geopolitical events shaping Eurasia and NATO. It is also unique as far as I know, being the only western non-anti-Russia book about the topic out there, competing with a ton of books and articles all repeating the same anti-Russia gospel. This fact alone makes it worth it reading, provided the reader care about different views and care about trying to get closer to the truth which lies outside the deep curtain of western propaganda.

The number of books, articles, events and perspectives review by the author is amazing. However the language is a bit difficult at times, some chapters kind of academic with too many details, which makes it a bit of a complex read for the average reader at times.

A comment to the 1-start review by the user "Ietrio", since comments are disabled under his review:

I will not say anything about the 1-star, as it seems it fits into his baseline average review grading philosophy of giving 1 star to all books.

"The text is not intended for an audience outside Russia": I disagree. A book written for/by Russians would have completely different metaphors and references. It is a book written by a Swiss author specifically for western readers. In Russia the majority of the population doesn't need this book at all as they learn many of this facts and topics in school, or are part of their cultural/historical heritage, or are strong events which they faced themselves and know about (e.g. Orthodox religion events, the events under Soviet Russia era, the shady behavior of UK and France in the years leading to WWII, with what level of respect and language the US has been dealing with them (which has become a meme nowadays, see the meme about the "bag of sanctions" - which you will understand if you are Russian or follow closely), etc.).

The user Ietrio moreover highlights a few typical fallacies (also described in the book by the way), the one of framing, the one of generalization, and the one of association, by listing some bad things done by Russia / Soviet Russia or happened in Russia / Soviet Russia (Russian imperialism in the 18th/19th centuries, the Soviet repression, bomb attacks). I will only say: the whole point is not saying Russia is good, West is bad, but wherever you position Russia on the scale of good/evil, the West is comparable or worse. Apparently the numerous examples in the book where not enough to convince our friend of that, which still claims Russia is bad because in the 18th century they conquered the bordering Caucasus (in an era when it was considered normal basically to be an empire), ignoring how Russia never had colonies in Africa or overseas or was involved in trafficking of millions of slaves.

So what is wrong to be with being careful with the Russians as our dear friend wrote? Nothing is wrong, be careful with everyone, but be careful even more with Bruxelles and Washington.

[Stepan Cabelka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty heavy stuff, with tons of references to prominent thinkers, influential books and political figures of the past that helped to shape the current russophobic narrative. Starts long ago with the great schism in the 6th century of so that separated the orthodox and catholic churches.

[John Shugert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. I have been a fan of Russian History for many years. I enjoyed the different perspective.

[Akrasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Voilà que seuls 37 pays ont soutenu les sanctions contre la Russie, face à 150 autres pays qui se sont abstenus. Six milliards et demi d’êtres humains regardent ainsi le spectacle de loin, avec le secret espoir de voir la Russie gagner. Ces derniers ont compris que si la Russie s’affaiblit, leur pays pourrait être le prochain sur la liste. De même, ils considèrent Ursula von der Leyen avec stupéfaction, qui dénonce les atteintes à la liberté d’expression en Russie, mais interdit les médias russes RT et Spoutnik en Europe. Il ne s’agit rien moins que d’une guerre pour la suprématie mondiale, les uns cherchant à conserver leur hégémonie tout en vassalisant l’Europe, les autres luttant pour un monde multipolaire.

Au fond, le problème est d’ordre plus philosophique. Que nous est-il arrivé à nous autres, héritiers des Lumières, pour que nous renoncions à tout esprit critique et à tout exercice de la raison? Que nous est-il arrivé à nous autres, enfants de Rousseau et de Kant, pour que nous nous contentions des préjugés les plus crasses? Pour que nous cédions au quasi-unanimisme des médias à condamner la Russie sans vérifier les faits, ni équilibrer les points de vue ? Pour que nous répudiions les grands historiens, au profit d’experts autoproclamés et payés pour dessiner un futur conforme aux ambitions américaines?

Rien ne justifie la persévérance dans l’ignorance."

Guy Mettant, nouvelle édition de 2023

[Славея Котова · Rating 1 out of 5]

Голяма книга, голям ум! Според Гай ли е, гей ли е, те с Боян Чуков много се обичат двамата между другото, истинският русофил не може да не обича Путин. Цяла подглава е отделил човека на тая работа. За каква ли употреба ги е блещил тия към 2017-та се чудя..

Тоя парцал между другото е и конструиран по много интересен начин. Доживяхме и време, в което някакъв кирлив швейцарец да се обяснява и да ожалва Православието и Византия и да ги олицетворява в съвремието чрез образа на малкия лилипутин.

Цитат:

"Knowing whether or not to add a mention of ‘Filioque’
in the Christian Creed of the 8th century today makes us smile,
but at the time it had as much importance for the domination of
the Mediterranean and European worlds as the ritual invocation
of human rights and democratic elections have in the discourse of
the European Union and NATO about President Putin’s Russia" (106 стр.)

Той този е и журналист, и политолог, и историк, и теолог! И какви изтънчени сравнения!
Който си го може, си го може...

[Vincent Komaroff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Russie et Occident, depuis près d'un millénaire, s'affrontent, se confrontent et, quelques singulières fois s'unissent, de part et d'autre de la Péninsule Européenne.

Après cette lecture, la question d'une synthèse se pose désormais, par-delà les démarcations et les fractures, afin de défendre ce qui est commun dans la Civilisation Européenne, qu'elle s'abreuve de Rome et de l'Humanisme, ou bien qu'elle se retrouve, sublime, dans le fard de Byzance et des particularismes russes qui, directement, en découle.

Trop longtemps, l'atlantisme fut dominateur en Europe, il est temps, plus que jamais, de faire de cette domination un vieux maître dont le fer ne doit plus croiser la rigueur de nos frères russes, et de la France, possiblement un pôle de réconciliation accouchant d'un intermède nécessaire pour sauver notre sang, ce sang coulant dans les veines de tout européens.

Voici que je souhaite voir poindre l'Aurore d'une Unité dans le respect des expressions et des productions particulières de chacun, par-delà bien et mal, en-deçà des luttes intestines, au milieu des rayons dorés de notre Nomos Commun : Ceux des 300 siècles ayant fait l'Europe.

[GreyAtlas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent narrative with detailed and accurate analysis of support facts. Alot of what is talked about here is not discussed anywhere else. This author has the guts to be decently neutral in his writing while also calling out clear bias of others in a professional way. Highly recommend if you have the courage to pry your eyes open to a campaign we don't even realize is happening.

[Gabriel Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having now finished Mettan's book, I can unequivocally recommend it. He belongs, as his other title Europe's Existential Dilemma suggests, to the dwindled tribe of European sanity. The first chapter is breezy and unexceptional.


Chapter 2, "Pavlovian" Russophibia, bears down, with a strong example of the 2002 Uberlingen Crash, an event which precisely because it is outside of the imperial war theater is even more revealing. The blame for a collision of airplanes is deflected from the true culprit, Swiss Air Traffic control, to the Russian Pilots, using entirely improvised and fictitious details lifted straight from mythology: a mob airline, untrained drunken pilots who speak no English, etc.

I had no idea that Swiss self reflection on this racist episode had led to a useful rapprochement with Russia to the point that Russians felt they could designate SW as a mediator with Georgia in 2008, a gain sadly reversed in 2018, when Lustenberger canceled a Russ. diplomatic visit under American/NATO pressure.

The 2004 Beslan hostage crisis provides another such compelling case study of Russophobia, in which the mounting hysteria over the miscarriage of the Russian response to a hostage crisis in Ossetia leads to the famous "open letter" to Putin of "115 Atlanticists" (organized by Havel), an incident which could be called the opening fusillade of an intensified new cold war, one which as Mettan points out is in some ways more unrestrained than the first cold war because our media is now so debilitated and spineless.

The ignorant lowbrow maniacs who now govern us managed to even freak out George Kennan and Henry Kissinger with their belligerence!

Indeed, you can begin to see in the Unites States (although this is afield of Mettan's book), the outlines of anti establishment which has no political home, composed entirely of members of the old imperial establishment who have been scorned and demoted over three decades of cronyism, in which the most talented diplomats, military officers, and intelligence veterans have been shoved aside (or sometimes jailed) while an astonishing parade of cretins have stepped into their shoes.

This brings us to an impasse where instead of an Abbie Hoffman or a Tom Hayden, the antiwar radicals are a member of the Brookings Institute! Another who imposed neoliberalism on Venezuela! Another who carpet bombed Cambodia! Amother who was in a Reagan cabinet! and the list goes on.

You cant make it up.

Sadly, these mediocrities who have completely gathered the reins of American
Power also have all of Europe dancing to their jig, to its own destruction.

Mettan traces American and French dissent, such as it is.

He mentions the Ulfkotte&Kruger revelations about propaganda inroads in German media, which have made the Frankfurter Allgemaine Zeitung as discredited and as inadequate to our current danger as the New York times.

Newspapers have abandoned the field here in the states to the long format propaganda of such unlikely outlets as Vanity Fair, which alternates novel length investigations of the doubtful pedophilia scandals which preoccupy the American haute bourgeois with coverage of Russia written by the likes of Mashe Gessen. How can a Voiceof America information officer receive a like assignment? I guess it was her balls that worked in propaganda. His ovaries do sensitive political analysis.

I'm sure that Mettan goes into more detail in his other book about how Europe's American vassalage is starting to make it look like a disfunctional self cutting teenager, the whole range of wounds from the Paribas fine to the Nordstream destruction.

Chapter four backs up a mere thousand years to relate modern Russophobia convincingly to the Christian schism. Give it a chance. It is a very clearly presented outline for further reading.

Europe has never been an easy thing to define. For Athenians it lay to the East! My own working definition, admittedly not original but derived from historians I respect, is that Europe is a project which begins with Charlemagne and dies in Maastricht after a thousand year run. and yes, the United States is just one more European country. There is no "new world".

In this chronology, as Mettan shows, The Byzantine empire and then the Russian empire and then the Sopviet State are as necessary an enemy as the Caliphates during the Reconquista or the Ottoman Turks.

Then follow chapters on French, British , German and American Russophobia which demonstrate it to be as fruitful and disturbiung a field of self reflection for us was "Orientalism".

This book is a loose and intelligent scaffold for further thought , reading and action regarding the impasse we are in. If the seeds are already planted, it will help you forward.