Should Russia accept it is no longer a Superpower?

[Exarch]

hmmm?food for thought:

The Memory Trap

Why remembrance of past imperial glory holds back Russia today. Part of an FP series, 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

BY NINA L. KHRUSHCHEVA | NOVEMBER 6, 2009



The dramatic events of 1989 hinged on decisions made in Moscow. Mikhail Gorbachev changed the world when he decided not to send Soviet tanks to Berlin on November 9. A believer in free choice, he followed his conviction that the Soviet Union should no longer keep Eastern Europe under its thumb. He would not follow the precedent of his communist predecessors -- Nikita Khrushchev in Hungary in 1956 or Leonid Brezhnev in Czechoslovakia in 1968. Gorbachev's reforms not only liberated the Soviets from the straitjacket of Marxism-Leninism, but also released the national aspirations of people from the Baltics to the Bering Sea, who themselves had been trapped behind the Iron Curtain. In 1989, the peoples of Eastern Europe were free from communism, and two years later the Soviet republics, including the Russian Federation, began to seek the same freedom for themselves.

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Yet in the two decades that have followed, Russia has been largely aloof from the liberalizing tide of history. The reason is that Russians have never accepted the narrative of being an empire diminished. In 2000, Russia, once the center of the Soviet empire, elected as president (now prime minister) former KGB operative Vladimir Putin. One of Putin's central promises was to restore the national self-respect that had been shattered by the apparent loss of great-power status. When in 2005 he announced that "the collapse of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century" and "a genuine tragedy" for the Russian people, Gorbachev (though not mentioned by name) was his target of blame.



Today, Putin's project to safeguard "great national Russian identity" involves throwback policies from the communist era -- such as attempting to pressure Europe into submission by increasing prices and limiting access to Russian oil and gas, and flexing Russia's military muscle, as in the recent conflict in Georgia and decisions to send military training ships to Cuba and Venezuela, as a tactic of intimidation.
It has been 20 years since the Berlin Wall fell, yet Russia still cannot accept the loss of its imperial power. Today it is clear that unlike other communist states, Russia's own 75 years of captivity to Soviet ideals and leadership cannot be blamed on the despotic nature of its former communist leaders. Neither closed borders, nor the Iron Curtain, nor the Berlin Wall, can imprison the Russian mind more than the idea of a Great Russia. As the saying goes, "Every nation deserves its government." Russians fully deserve Putin's illiberal leadership, and his popularity consistently rates at more than 70 percent. It is Mikhail Gorbachev and his liberal ideals that they have never embraced, or deserved.

Long quoted articles, multiple videos, and large pictures should be posted in spoilers. -- VP

source: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/article...he_memory_trap

Discuss (and do please keep the russia bashing nonexistent)

[danzig]

Should it? Yes. Will it? Probably not but it will become unavoidable in the decades to come as they become nothing more then a shadow behind India/China etc. And yes russian nationalist spare me the "we got energy! we got nukes!" thing if that was all that was required to be a superpower then we'd have dozen of superpowers. Russia will continue to be a major power and it should just accept that.

[CarbEast]

This topic could have been in theory an interesting subject for discussion, but not when built around articles like this. Nina L. Khrushcheva is one of those authors for whom "biased" is too nice a word.

"such as attempting to pressure Europe into submission by increasing prices and limiting access to Russian oil and gas" - BS

"flexing Russia's military muscle, as in the recent conflict in Georgia" - BS

"decisions to send military training ships to Cuba and Venezuela, as a tactic of intimidation." - BS

Wow, the BS density is amazing!

[ivan_the_terrible]

This topic could have been in theory an interesting subject for discussion, but not when built around articles like this. Nina L. Khrushcheva is one of those authors for whom "biased" is too nice a word.

"such as attempting to pressure Europe into submission by increasing prices and limiting access to Russian oil and gas" - BS

"flexing Russia's military muscle, as in the recent conflict in Georgia" - BS

"decisions to send military training ships to Cuba and Venezuela, as a tactic of intimidation." - BS

Wow, the BS density is amazing!

I like the one where she says Russians don't deserve Gorbachev and his great ideas

[eddy_purpus]

How can the LARGEST country, accept that it is no longer a super power?

As long as Russia has its territory, it will still be a super power for years to come.. what years... decades...
One thing it should care more than its international status, is their stability.. only and at all times..

[eggthief]

How can the LARGEST country, accept that it is no longer a super power?

As long as Russia has its territory, it will still be a super power for years to come.. what years... decades...
One thing it should care more than its international status, is their stability.. only and at all times..

How are steppes and tundras going to make you a superpower?

[CarbEast]

How are steppes and tundras going to make you a superpower?

It's not steppes and tundras, but what's under them.

[Holger Danske]

It's not steppes and tundras, but what's under them.

Russia is by no means a Super Power anymore. She has little means to project her power, and is easily eclipsed by NATO and the US (alone). Beyond their nuclear arsenal they simply cannot compete with the Americans or a more unified Europe, or China for that matter. If anything Russia should rather start spending her money on lifting her society up to standards than trying to keep up with the Western military power - as she simply can't without bankrupting herself once more.

Russia is however a great power due to her vast natrual resources.

NB: If having nuclear weapons makes you a super power then Pakistan is by that definition a super power.

[eggthief]

Russia is however a great power due to her vast natrual resources.

Natural resources can become a ticket to becoming a third world country, not that I expect it to happen to Russia but when you build up an economy around natural resources there will always be the danger that the bargain power of the consumer grows to big.

[Pavlik the Rus]

Russia is by no means a Super Power anymore. She has little means to project her power, and is easily eclipsed by NATO and the US (alone). Beyond their nuclear arsenal they simply cannot compete with the Americans or a more unified Europe, or China for that matter.

Why the aspect of nuclear arsenal must be ignored. It is exists.

NB: If having nuclear weapons makes you a super power then Pakistan is by that definition a super power.

Debatable. Pakistan's (India and other "smaller" memebers of nuclear club) nuclear capabilities highly limited with delivery vehicles. They have no strategic bombers, strategic submarines and most effective ICBM. They can not hit anyone they want.

[danzig]

How can the LARGEST country, accept that it is no longer a super power?

As long as Russia has its territory, it will still be a super power for years to come.. what years... decades...
One thing it should care more than its international status, is their stability.. only and at all times..

Because size of a country is irrelevant to "superpower" status otherwise canada would be based on land mass or India would be one based on population.

Resources...

Then canada and saudis are superpowers....

Depends on what you call a superpower. Russia is an only country in the world that can destroy NATO. At the same time it is politically independent from the west. That's why media in NATO countries gives it all the bad rep.

Well most would consider an attempt to do so (via nukes since conventionally Russia cant do squat vs NATO) as basically being frutile since it would bring about mutual destruction and a rather unpleasant planet full of nuclear fallout. So not sure being able to take something out by doing something that ensures you yourself "dies" in the act would qualify as superpower.

[YuriVII]

We aren't a superpower because of the demographic crisis. The rate of decline is becoming less, but it is still a rate of decline... We definently have our assets besides our nukes and oil though.

[Babur]

We aren't a superpower because of the demographic crisis. The rate of decline is becoming less, but it is still a rate of decline... We definently have our assets besides our nukes and oil though.

then you should work on that :

[Nebuchadnezzar]

Well most would consider an attempt to do so (via nukes since conventionally Russia cant do squat vs NATO) as basically being frutile since it would bring about mutual destruction and a rather unpleasant planet full of nuclear fallout. So not sure being able to take something out by doing something that ensures you yourself "dies" in the act would qualify as superpower.

You will need to work on that logic a bit. Neither NATO nor US could destroy Russia without destroying themselves or the planet. So neither fall into your definition of superpower. Not Russia, not USA.

BTW I seriously doubt NATO capabilities. We saw in 1999 just how incompetent they really were.

[eddy_purpus]

Have a better look at a lot of countries in Africa and multiple other banana republics around the globe.

Oh noes...

Africa is different...
They were colonized still a colony in the early 1900's...
If the place have had more former countries and less corruption ...
We would be talking about another kind of Africa..
The one that is not looked upon just for gold =(

Because size of a country is irrelevant to "superpower" status otherwise canada would be based on land mass or India would be one based on population.

Saudi Arabia just has oil,wich they will lose in a few years if they keep exporting so much and not conserving it...

Canada... I dont have the source to prove my next statement...
But I believe it has one of the biggest oil reserves in the world..

Maybe ?
Wikipedia an reliable source?
And idk if they have explored their territory very well too.. ;P

What I have been trying to mean there with Russia's territory...
Is...
Have they explored it much to the context of finding oil ?
I dont think they have...

[eggthief]

I know, I was just pointing out that size doesn't matter that much as Eddy implies. I believe that Russia could be a superpower again but doing nothing than dreaming about it's former glory and messing up its relations with just about every other nation won't get them there. They should make cuts in their military and instead work on the corruption within their own borders first and on the stressed relations with the rest of the world.

[CarbEast]

I know, I was just pointing out that size doesn't matter that much as Eddy implies. I believe that Russia could be a superpower again but doing nothing than dreaming about it's former glory and messing up its relations with just about every other nation won't get them there.

Relations have no value outside of what they can give you. Keeping good relations with someone when it hurts your own interests just for sake of good relations is very bad strategy. It's just as bad on personal level as it is on international level.

They should make cuts in their military and instead work on the corruption within their own borders first and on the stressed relations with the rest of the world.

Russia's military budget is far from excessive and there were plenty of cuts already. More importantly cutting military have absolutely no positive effect on corruption. When you concentrate on what's happening inside your borders too much you might one day find that you're no longer in borders you used to be.

[Pavlik the Rus]

Russiamust be a superpower, and according to nuclear arsenal it is.
But i wish a status of super power in aspects of personal security, status, healthcare, realtions state-citizen, modern economics...
I doubt that we will achieve that with those men in power.
PS i heave not read article because the autor is....

[Panzerbear]

Russiamust be a superpower, and according to nuclear arsenal it is.
But i wish a status of super power in aspects of personal security, status, healthcare, realtions state-citizen, modern economics...
I doubt that we will achieve that with those men in power.
PS i heave not read article because the autor is....

the author is a moron, but that is beside the point.

there is only one way a superpower can be a superpower - geopolitics. i.e. the amount of influence and force it can project beyond its own borders (preferably world wide). all this socio-economic stuff is wonderful, but it doesn't create superpowers.

in my mind Russia will once again take its natural role (the same way it was in Russian Empire or Soviet Union) as being a global power. not confident about a superpower though, because of China.

[Admiral Piett]

the author is a moron, but that is beside the point.

there is only one way a superpower can be a superpower - geopolitics. i.e. the amount of influence and force it can project beyond its own borders (preferably world wide). all this socio-economic stuff is wonderful, but it doesn't create superpowers.

in my mind Russia will once again take its natural role (the same way it was in Russian Empire or Soviet Union) as being a global power. not confident about a superpower though, because of China.

If its own infrastructure cannot hold up without embezzling itself into oblivion and the economic output of the nation does not meet the demands of their expenses in pursuing international arm flexing, it will merely find itself in yet another crisis.

And I don't say this because I 'hate' Russians or anything, I've got nothing against Russia. I just think it's got its own domestic problems to deal with first. I feel exactly the same way about the US.