Given a document and an entity the task is to select the author's sentiment towards the entity. Sentiments can be Positive, Neutral and Negative. Select Positive if the article expresses a positive view towards the given entity or praises its quality or skills. Select Neutral if the document expresses no clear view towards the entity or has equal amounts of positive and negative statements or expressing some fact/quote by someone else. Select Negative if the article expresses a negative view towards like harsh remarks, criticizing entities action/decision etc. Note that URLs in the text have been replaced with [Link].

Example Input: What is the sentiment of the following document towards the entity Alexei Navalny ? A Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman on Tuesday said the US was meddling in Russia ' s coming presidential election by condemning the decision to bar  the opposition candidate Alexei Navalny  from running . " This State Department statement   which I ' m sure will be repeated   is a direct interference in our electoral process and internal affairs  " the spokeswoman wrote . Russia ' s Election Commission barred  Navalny  from running last week   citing a previous embezzlement conviction . The European Court of Human Rights has called that conviction " arbitrary " and " unreasonable ." The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Tuesday accused the US of " direct interference in our electoral process and internal affairs " following the State Department ' s criticism of Russia ' s decision to bar the opposition leader Alexey Navalny from running in the coming presidential election against Vladimir Putin . " This State Department statement   which I ' m sure will be repeated   is a direct interference in our electoral process and internal affairs  " Zakharova wrote Tuesday on Facebook . In a statement shared with Business Insider on Tuesday night   a State Department representative expressed concern over the Russian government ' s " ongoing crackdown against independent voices   from journalists to civil society activists and opposition politicians ." " These actions indicate the Russian government has failed to protect space in Russia for the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms  " the statement said . " More broadly   we urge the government of Russia to hold genuine elections that are transparent   fair   and free and that guarantee the free expression of the will of the people   consistent with its international human rights obligations ." " And these people expressed outrage over alleged Russian ' interference ' in their electoral process for an entire year ?!" " The funniest thing is that these are the same people who just tagged RT and Sputnik as foreign agents   who are harassing Russian media around the world and who are investing huge amounts of money into ' countering Russian propaganda  ' which is how they label anyone who they disagree with  " she wrote . A declassified US intelligence assessment of the 2016 election determined that Russian government actors   ordered by Putin   used " cyber tools and media campaigns to influence US public opinion " and " undermine public faith in the US democratic process ." Russian government - linked actors   it said   " began openly supporting President - elect Trump ' s candidacy in media aimed at English - speaking audiences " in March 2016 . Those media outlets included Sputnik and RT   which the report characterized as " the Kremlin ’ s principal international propaganda outlet ." Sputnik and RT ' s US affiliate registered as foreign agents with the Justice Department in November . Navalny to announce ' a voters ' strike ' Navalny   a lawyer and activist   replaced Boris Nemtsov as leader of Russia ' s democratic opposition following Nemtsov ' s 2015 assassination in the shadow of the Kremlin . One day after  Navalny  registered as a candidate for Russia ' s next presidential election   which will be held in March   Russia ' s Central Election Commission barred him from running   citing a previous embezzlement conviction   according to the state - run media outlet RIA - Novosti .  Navalny  has known since February — when  he  was handed a suspended five - year jail term for embezzlement in a case that  his  supporters have characterized as politically motivated — that  he  would not be allowed on the ballot . The European Court of Human Rights determined in October that the conviction was " arbitrary and manifestly unreasonable ." Ella Pamfilova   the head of the CEC   told Russia ' s TV Rain in June that Navalny " understands himself that he has no chance of being registered for the election due to his previous conviction ." She accused him later of " fundraising illegally and brainwashing young people ." Putin   who has refused to utter Navalny ' s name   said during his marathon end - of - year press conference earlier this month that the opposition was hoping for a " coup " but would not succeed . " Do you want us to have coup attempts here ?" " We ' ve already been through all that . You want to go back to that ? I am sure that the overwhelming majority of Russian citizens do not want this and will not stand for it ." Navalny ' s lawyer told CNN on Monday that he would appeal the decision . But  Navalny  has said he and his movement will organize a boycott of the vote if he is not allowed to run . " We are announcing a voters ' strike  "  Navalny  said in a video posted to his blog this week . " The procedure in which we are invited to participate is not an election . It involves only Putin and those candidates whom he personally chose   who do not pose a slightest threat to him ."
Example Output: Negative

Example Input: What is the sentiment of the following document towards the entity Eddie Montgomery ? Following the tragic death of  his  musical collaborator and bandmate   Eddie Montgomery  is opening up for one of the first times about what the future holds and how  he  remembers  his  dear friend  Troy Gentry.
Since 1999 the group made music together under the moniker of Montgomery Gentry. Speaking to People in its upcoming issue   Montgomery  revealed that the duo had previously discussed what to do if one of them passed away before the other. The 54-year-old explained that they both agreed to keep the band going  no matter what.
âItâs weird  I always thought it was going to be me that went down first â  he  told the outlet.
âA little piece of my soul got lost there â  Montgomery   told People. âIt was a horrific day  my world changed as much as the band did. Itâs something that you never get over. Itâs going to be in my mind and my soul for the rest of my life.â
Example Output: Positive

Example Input: What is the sentiment of the following document towards the entity Bashar al-Assad ? Supporters of the Syrian regime rejected any link to a chemical weapons strike. They claimed the reports were fabricated by terrorist groups in Idlib and suggested the fatalities were the result of an explosion at a supposed al-Qaeda chemical weapons factory. Russian authorities  whose warplanes are flying in support of the regime  said they had not conducted a strike in the area around the town. But the broader international reaction was vehement â and put the blame squarely on  Syrian President Bashar al-Assad .
Such strikes are a regime tactic to further demoralize the flagging rebellion. " Assad  calculates  reasonably  that military dynamics play in  his  favor. By using chemical weapons and other weapons   he  is demonstrating the powerlessness of international actors " Emile Hokayem  a Middle East analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies  told The Washington Post.
"Today's chemical attack in Syria against innocent people  including women and children  is reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world " said White House press secretary Sean Spicer. "These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution."
It's seemingly a bizarre line of attack for the Trump administration to choose. In 2013  the Obama administration contemplated a military response after a suspected regime chemical weapons attack on rebel-held districts in the suburbs of Damascus killed more than 1 000 people. The mounting international pressure at the time compelled  Assad  to agree to eliminate its chemical weapons program.
The fact that Obama chose to back off from confronting the  Assad  regime  which allegedly used chemical weapons numerous times in the years since  will forever haunt the former president's legacy. Much of the Washington foreign policy establishment has excoriated him for it. But Trump in 2013 â then a private citizen with the same itchy Twitter finger â was opposed to American intervention in Syria.
The irony is that Trump's position on the Syrian conflict isn't that far removed from Obama's â although it's more conspicuous in its indifference to the plight of Syrian refugees. The previous administration called for  Assad 's departure  but it did little to actually push for regime change  fearing that any deeper involvement in the Syrian conflict would risk the sort of blowback and chaos that rocked Iraq after the 2003 U.S. invasion. Trump  meanwhile  has insisted on multiple occasions that he is not interested in nation-building in the Middle East or dictating regime change. His lieutenants indicated as recently as last week that the White House does not prioritize removing  Assad  from power.
Example Output:
Negative