General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRussia really is a middling power
They are a large gas station with nukes.
A nation's power can be measured by it's military might, it's economic might, and its cultural influence.
Military might- Let's be charitable and give them an eight. They have a lot of nukes but they are incapable of projecting their power in faraway places.
Economic might- Michigan has a larger economy. Let's give them a three.
Cultural impact- Yeah, we're all aware of Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, and Solzhenitsyn but I don't see folks in Manila, Beijing, and Mumbai waiting for the next blockbuster from Moscow nor do I see teenagers in Seoul, Paris, or Kuala Lumpur rocking the latest fashions from Moscow, using smartphones created in Russia, or dancing to the latest Russian hits. Let's be charitable and give them a four for cultural contributions made before our grandparents were born.
Add em up and they get a five.
I agree with that sage that said ""I do think it's important to keep perspective: Russia doesn't make anything...
Immigrants aren't rushing to Moscow for opportunities."
I don't know why Trump treats them like they are ten feet tall.
mitch96
(13,926 posts)Because he's a Oligarch in training and he just loves him some russian oligarchs..
m
GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)DemocratSinceBirth
(99,714 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)Anon-C
(3,430 posts)uponit7771
(90,364 posts)guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)that would explain much.
dalton99a
(81,599 posts)But the president also suggested that Russia and its strongman president, Vladimir Putin, could stand to weaken the U.S. if it loosens its commitment to democracy.
They can impact us if we lose track of who we are, Obama said. They can impact us if we abandon our values.
He then listed them: Mr. Putin can weaken us just like he's trying to weaken Europe if we start buying into notions that it's okay to intimidate the press. Or lock up dissidents. Or discriminate against people because of their faith or what they look like.
https://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/obama-russia-weaker-country-232759
Anon-C
(3,430 posts)AlexSFCA
(6,139 posts)but make no mistake, putin has no interest collaborating with USA economically or otherwise. His goal is to destroy us and the entire concet of western democracy by any means possible because it threatens his regime.