Media alarm over a “new Cold War,” is simply hysteria. The economy of Russia is toothless. You can’t buy tanks or jets without money, and the Russians don’t have much.
Another problem for the Federation is its declining population, riddled with alcoholism and a surging AIDs epidemic. You don’t build a super power with a demographic profile like that.
Take a look for a moment at the comparative size of the GDP of Russia and the United States in my chart below. You’ll quickly see the disparity in resources available with which to fight any potential conflict.
Russia’s economy is smaller than many individual Western European nations as well. Even Italy, facing its own economic problems, has surpassed Russia in GDP terms for the last three years.
During the last decade the ruble has suffered, and Russians’ buying power has declined markedly.
Why are the media, Democrats, and neocons so concerned about this toothless bear? Russia is not in a position to order anyone around. Rather than take a belligerent stance toward Russia, America should show it the way toward conforming to Western standards, and bring it into the fold. Yes, Putin needs to tone down his own stance if he wants to be taken seriously, but President Trump is correct in opening the door for better relations with Russia.
