From year to year, under the influence of geopolitical events, wars, economic rivalries and diplomatic crises, Americans change their perception of the main enemies of their country. For the past four years, the first place in this rating has been consistently occupied by China, which is increasingly perceived as the main strategic rival of the United States – not only in the economic and military terms, but also in the technological sphere. Russia holds the second position, which is explained by its aggressive foreign policy, primarily the war against Ukraine and interference in the internal affairs of other countries.
This definition of enemies is based on the classic mechanism of the binary opposition Self/Foreign, which in the conditions of geopolitical confrontation is often transformed into Self/Enemy. In the minds of the Americans, certain countries with which they could previously have pragmatic or even partnership relations are gradually becoming entrenched as adversaries. China, which in the early 2000s was considered primarily as an economic partner, today has acquired the status of the main competitor, and in the US military strategy it is increasingly called an existential threat. Russia, which for some time balanced between the statuses of “problem partner” and “geopolitical opponent”, after 2014, and especially after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, finally established itself in the category of enemies.
At the same time, this process is not irreversible: countries can move from the category of enemies to the status of neutral or even allies, depending on political realities. For example, back in the 2000s, Iran was perceived as one of the main enemies of the United States, while in 2015, after the signing of the nuclear agreement, its role in this position was significantly reduced. Instead, following the US withdrawal from the agreement and rising tensions in the Middle East, he is once again returning to rhetoric about strategic adversaries.
How the mood of Americans changed and what exactly affected these fluctuations – we will consider in more detail based on the infographic.
Infographic: IA “FACT”
How the main enemy of the USA changed after 2000
In the early 2000s, the definition of the main enemy of the United States depended largely on military conflicts and threats discussed in the information space. In 2001, most Americans (38%) named Iraq as their main enemy, a direct result of long-standing tensions between Washington and Baghdad, as well as accusations that Saddam Hussein’s regime was developing weapons of mass destruction. At the same time, China, despite relatively stable economic relations with the United States, was already at the second place in this list (14%), which testified to the growth of strategic distrust of Beijing.
Over the following years, the US foreign policy agenda continued to change, reflecting the evolution of threats. By 2005, Iraq lost its absolute primacy in the ranking of enemies, giving way to North Korea, which openly declared its nuclear ambitions. This became the first serious signal that the global threat from North Korea is perceived by Americans more and more acutely.
2006 – 2008: Anti-Iranian sentiment under the influence of the nuclear program
In the period from 2006 to 2008, Iran became the main enemy in the mass consciousness of Americans. Rising tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program and the George W. Bush administration’s “axis of evil” rhetoric cement the country as a key adversary: 31% of Americans in 2006, 26% in 2007, and 25% in 2008 considered Iran to be the main threat. At the same time, Iraq continued to remain among the main enemies of the United States, although its position gradually weakened. China and North Korea were stable in the third and fourth places.
In 2011-2012, Iran is again in the center of attention of the American public: 25% and 32% of respondents respectively called it the main enemy. It was a period of particular tension in relations between Washington and Tehran, caused by sanctions, the growth of the US military presence in the region and threats of military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. At the same time, China comes in second place, reflecting the growing economic and geopolitical conflict between the two states.
Russia is only a secondary player
It is interesting that during this period Russia was practically not perceived by the Americans as a serious threat: only 2-3% of respondents considered it an enemy of the United States. This shows that until 2014 (the annexation of Crimea and the beginning of the war in Ukraine), Russia remained in the eyes of most Americans a secondary player compared to Iran, China or North Korea. However, later the situation changed, and Russia gradually rose in the ranking of enemies of the US, which was a consequence of its increasingly aggressive foreign policy.
Since 2014, the perception of the main enemy of the United States in the American society has undergone significant changes, reflecting the growth of geopolitical competition, military conflicts, and the exacerbation of contradictions between global players.
2014 – 2016: China, North Korea, Iran and the rise of anti-Russian sentiment
In 2014, according to American polls, China became the main adversary of the United States – 20% of respondents considered it to be so. At the same time, 16% of Americans called Iran and North Korea the biggest threats to the country. It is important to note that after the start of the war in Ukraine in 2014, for the first time in a long time, Russia began to be considered by a large part of Americans as an enemy state – 9% of respondents named it among the main enemies of the United States.
The following year, in 2015, anti-Russian sentiment among Americans increased significantly. The number of those who considered Russia to be the main enemy of the United States doubled to 18%, which was a direct consequence of Moscow’s aggression against Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea. Meanwhile, North Korea, despite its traditionally aggressive rhetoric, remained in the field of view of 15% of respondents, and China was perceived as the main adversary by only 12% of Americans.
By 2016, the perception of global threats in the US had become more even: Americans were almost equally divided in their views, considering North Korea, Russia, Iran and China as the main enemies. This reflected Washington’s general concern about several conflict points in the world, while no one country dominated the threat rating.
2018: North Korea as the main threat
2018 was marked by a sharp jump in xenophobic attitudes towards North Korea: more than half of Americans (51%) considered North Korea to be the main enemy of the United States. This phenomenon is explained by the active escalation of rhetoric and missile tests by Kim Jong Un, which threatened both American military bases in the region and the US territory itself. At that time, other traditional opponents – Russia, China and Iran – remained in the shadow of the Korean crisis.
2019-2020: Russia and China in the spotlight
After a short-term peak of threats from North Korea, in 2019-2020, Americans began to perceive Russia as the main adversary of the United States. In 2019, 32% of citizens called it the main threat, while China gradually approached this figure (21%). In 2020, this trend continued: 23% considered Russia the main enemy, and 22% – China. Let’s also mention the role of President Trump in strengthening Sinophobic sentiments. It was Trump who, in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, tried to stir up hateful sentiments against the Chinese in his media appearances, stigmatizing China and provoking aggressive actions against the Chinese, which was realized in the attitude of the Americans towards the citizens of the Celestial Empire.
The growth of anti-Russian sentiment during this period is partly related to the numerous accusations of Moscow’s interference in the US presidential election, as well as the ongoing hybrid aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. China, for its part, was increasingly seen as a strategic competitor threatening the US in the economic, military and technological spheres.
2021–2024: China’s dominance as America’s archenemy
Since 2021, a new geopolitical agenda has begun to take shape in American public opinion. China, which previously competed with Russia and North Korea for the top spot in the enemy rating, began to dominate the anti-rating. About half of Americans during this period (in particular, 41% in 2024) named China as the main enemy of the United States.
At the same time, after the start of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia took second place among the enemies of the United States – it was considered so by about a third of respondents (26% in 2024). Iran (9%) and North Korea (4%) have lost much of the attention of Americans, and Iraq, which was the main threat to the United States in the early 2000s, has virtually disappeared from the American public’s view (only 1%).
Political factor: Republicans vs. Democrats
Political preferences greatly influence who Americans perceive as the main enemy of the country. Polls show that Republicans and independent voters are more likely to name China as the main threat to the United States. This reflects a broader narrative from the Republican Party, which accuses Beijing of economic espionage, currency manipulation and expansionist policies.
Democrats, on the other hand, are more likely to consider Russia as their main enemy. This position is reinforced by Russian cyberattacks, election meddling and the war in Ukraine, which have been key foreign policy issues of the Biden administration.
So, over the past two decades, American society has experienced a significant transformation in defining the main enemy of the country. If in the early 2000s attention was focused on Iraq, Iran and North Korea, then China and Russia became the main geopolitical opponents of the USA. China is firmly at the top of the threat ranking, indicating a shift from military threats to a global rivalry between the world’s two economic and technological giants. The issue with Russia remains open in view of Donald Trump’s fake sympathy for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
