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Let's see how things go in Russia when it's cuts off natural gas sales for political reasons.

Russia's resurgence is specifically because of the level of integration with the West that it has achieved so far. If that level of integration collapses then the "resurgence" will collapse with it.....and those KGB billionaire thugs will find themselves very unpopular again very quickly.

The Chinese government has managed to find a way to suck off the capitalist tit while still being brutes at home. The Russians seem to think they can suck off the capitalist tit while being brutes internationally. That is a far more unlikely combination than China's.

I think Russia/USSR would end up cutting their nose off to spite their face, yes they can cut off energy to Europe but unless they find another buyer, they will return to a poor country with nukes One thing about Red China, they seemed to have achieved what Lenin hoped to do with the New Economic Program in the 1920's or what Gorbachev tried to do in the 1980's. How long they can keep it up, I don't know.

I think Russia/USSR would end up cutting their nose off to spite their face, yes they can cut off energy to Europe but unless they find another buyer, they will return to a poor country with nukes One thing about Red China, they seemed to have achieved what Lenin hoped to do with the New Economic Program in the 1920's or what Gorbachev tried to do in the 1980's. How long they can keep it up, I don't know.

The Chinese are deep strategic thinkers. I am not so sure we can say the same for the Russians. Maybe deep tactical thinkers, but not really strategic.

Yes, they pulled off a surprise here. But their success in it threatens their overall position.

They may still come out okay if they are able to lull the West back to sleep. And they have a good chance of luring western Europe back to sleep....but not eastern Europe.

I have always thought that Russia's best strategic move would be to fully integrate with the West and become a leader of the West as a frontline state. They have a terrible demographic problem along with growing populations of unfriendlies to the south...plus resource hungry China. I am not sure they can defend that massive landmass with their future population for the long run. In 100 years they will be overrun by their growing southern neighbors. They only way to stop that would have been to integrate fully with the west.

They ally with the Muslims to the south against the West because they sense a loss of power from Soviet days. But they have made a short term deal with the devil that will ultimately kill them. Makes no real long-term sense.