This propaganda feeds not so much on ignorance as on resentment, a mixture of jealousy and hostility. Having an imagined but mighty enemy—America—makes people feel noble and good. It compensates for personal weaknesses and failures and frees them from the need to justify themselves to anyone and above all to themselves. But Russia is running the risk of overdosing on hatred and aggression. The euphoria and nationalist frenzy cannot just be switched off like a television set: all that whipped-up passion does not simply vanish.
