Quote:
Originally Posted by Manic!
Did they really win the cold war because it seems Russia is as strong as ever.
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I wouldn't say Russia is as strong as ever. As a matter of fact, this couldn't be further from the truth because Russia is very much in a rapid state of decline.
Putin remains strongly in control -- perhaps in greater control than any of the recent Russian / Soviet leader has ever been. But the country itself is disastrous in numerous other ways. Economically it is in a dire state because the oil money hasn't been flowing with low crude prices. Its population has been dropping since the 90's, although it seems to have leveled off in recent years. Life expectancy among men is dropping big time though -- the figure is ~66 for Russian men, compared to almost 79 for Canadian men. Many young and talented folks are fleeing the country to seek better lives elsewhere.
As a great disruptor of world order, Russia is certainly excelling at that. But beyond that, I'm not sure if they have to capacity for it.