I felt sorry for those young ppl. So willing to give up Russian sovereignty while they reach across the aisle. The West is chomping at the bit to get their hands on Russia and it’s riches, and these dumbass kids act like it’s a game.
Let’s face facts - the eleven time zone kleptocracy that is the Russian Federation has failed utterly to invest in anything other than armament and invasion of its neighbors in the last 2 decades.
If Putin had followed China by massively expanding its own exploitation of its own assets instead of robbing the country blind and leaving most of the RF in a state barely more developed than a war ravaged third world armpit, it’d be outperforming the West on innovation, science, construction, mineral wealth, technology AND conservative principles.
All of Eastern Europe including Ukraine would’ve flipped the bird to the EU’s liberal nonsense and signed up to closer ties with Russia and China.
Heck, I’d have considered emigrating to Russia if that had been the path Putin trod. Khordokovsky is the only guy in Russia who demonstrated thru his own actions and using his own money (inasmuch as he was a kleptocrat oligarch before seeing the light!) that it was doable. Putin didn’t like the challenge.
So it wasn’t adopted. There are three cities in Russia that are on the right side of the 1960s in terms of economic development but the rest of the country is even more behind the times than the most underdeveloped parts of Africa.
Those kids aren’t saying Russia needs to give up sovereignty; what they’re saying is Russia is an armpit BECAUSE it isn’t making good use of its sovereignty.
And they’re absolutely right. Russia can’t invade its way to greatness. Perhaps Putin should read his Aesop, or that Dale Carnegie book.
American cultural hegemony didn’t happen because of militarism, it’s there because the whole world and its dog saw the USA prospering and having fast food, muscle cars, great TV, awesome movies, eclectic styles of music, new traditions (like Trick or Treat) alongside old ones.
Russia doesn’t understand that SOFT POWER is how the USA ended up so powerful. If the USA had developed like Russia under Putin, with no comprehension of the value of SOFT POWER, the flyover states would be stuck in a 30s timewarp, Utah would be run as a world class polygamy cult, and both Canada and Mexico would be readying themselves for an inevitable hostile takeover.
Chomping at the bit to get Russias riches?
Nope. Everyone hoped they could ignore the place forever.
Natural resources are common, and the main impediment to getting anything anyone wants are government regulations.
Energy is super-abundant. Nobody needs to be drilling in Siberian tundra for it.