Elite Perceptions of the United States in Latin America and the Former Soviet Union

The policy messages the United States intends to send are often not the messages received by other countries. The misunderstandings that arise can have significant impacts on bilateral relations and on the efficacy of America’s policies. Understanding why there is such dissonance and the context in which different countries and regions perceive the United States is a first step to designing better policies. This report highlights the views individuals in elite roles in public, private, non-profit, academic, and media sectors from twelve countries across Latin America and the former Soviet Union have of the United States—its national character, its foreign and domestic policies, its cultural outputs, and its overall role in the world.