Thus i think all this 'Red Dawn' hyperbole should be applied to China (and to a lesser extent a future Pakistan that is led by a crazy zealot)!
If Russia wanted to get into a fight with the US it would have done so decades ago when it was the hegemony USSR! Currently Russia is still extremely powerful militarily, but it is led by people who have brains in their heads (unlike Pakistan which is always under the sword of damocles in that Musharaff could be kicked out and some Islamist zealot take power ....or China which is as we speak taking steps to develop assymetrical warfare assets to be deployed against the US shoudl we try to defend Taiwan from it).
People need to get off their cold war mentality and see Russia for what it is ....a budding ally and a strong one at that) in a world where the US needs all the allies it can get.
Also of note. Russia has MORE natural resources than we do.
Imagine a Russia led by Capitalists. Oh. Did I mention they have lower taxes (and flat tax) than we do?
The idea that Russia is going to surprise nuke us makes no sense.
In fact, it would be a bit insane. The world market would collapse, and Russia would have to immediately move to destroy China also, lest they lose by attrition. The only winning scenario would be to attack every nuclear power at once. And I don't think their hardware is up to the task.
Although I have to admit apprehension at the fortress City under the Urals.
I'll counter balance that with something that might get this post pulled, or me anally inspected.(Even though I have no direct or special knowledge) The US has or is alledged to have nuclear powered drilling equipment, and have used black ops projects to create large underground safe areas connected by 'roadways'. (and I hope they do) , the equipment was even showcased in a Popular Mechanics? story decades ago. For all I know, we have several underground cities.....
But that doesn't really help much, (excepting asteroid impact) - because our current and reasonably near future threats are assymetric. Actually, Russia and the US probably have a lot to learn from each other.
If I had to choose, I'd pick Russia, Japan and Britain... and colonize space, while controlling the world flare ups.
We have a whole universe to settle. And all the rewards that go with it... This idea that nationalism will cause us to kill each other is infantile.
If I could stand before Bush and Putin at a joint press conference this is exactly what I'd address.
And it certainly doesn't hurt that Russia is led by someone of significant intelligence.
I'd like to see Russia be another capitalist nation on the other side of the globe.
But hey... that's just armchair analysis, without the benefit of what the big boys know....
(And if you want to offer me a job, well.... )