[DoughtyOne]

The EU is intent of dominating Russia, first economically and then as logic dictates, militarily. The greatest threat to peace in the coming decade is the soon-to-be-unchecked bureaucratic monster in Brussels.

Brussels may become a bureaucratic monster.  I'm not convinced that has to be a real negative for Russia.

Europe does a lot of business with China.  Why would Russia have to be any different?

If Russia behaves as a good neighbor, the trade between the two entities should be robust and productive.

Russia needs to get over the militaristic response to everything.  Nobody has grand designs on Russia, unless it's Russia's new bet ally ever China..

[Always A Marine]

Russia needs to get over the militaristic response to everything. Nobody has grand designs on Russia, unless it's Russia's new bet ally ever China.

Nobody is more militaristic than a dominant European power, so keep your eyes on the EU. After Brussels takes control of the armed forces of its formerly-sovereign member nations, we'll see what a 21st Century fascist state looks like. There is a reason Brussels pressed EU and NATO expansion all the way to Russia's borders, and it has nothing to do with friendship and trade. Buffers help prevent wars from starting, and the old frontier buffers are gone.

I wouldn't be lulled into thinking that militarism is a thing of the past. Trade is as old as warfare; if trade could make great wars obsolete, it would have done so long ago. Things change, and they can turn on a dime. Human nature has not changed one bit.