ABSTRACT
Mistrust of foreigners is very old in Russia. In centuries past this attitude had religious as well as political grounds, for Russia felt herself threatened and surrounded by alien ideas and peoples. Russia's Orthodox coreligionists were under domination by Muslim and Catholic powers. Protestant Sweden blocked Russia's access to the Baltic, nomadic Muslims controlled the southern steppes. Foreign merchants allowed into Muscovy were kept under close surveillance. Jews were kept out. Being a foreigner in the USSR today is a unique experience of life in a "gilded cage." To understand what this typically means, a review of official regulations may be of help. It should be noted that many of the restrictions mentioned here were not being enforced in the late 1980s, or at least not in Moscow and Leningrad. A Soviet tourist or business visa is not enough to entitle a foreigner to travel across the country or to stay with friends or relatives.
