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> Russia is not USSR - a superpower with half of Europe under its wings -, and is not a threat to anyone Not by choice, Russians still think the collapse of US

> Russia is not USSR - a superpower with half of Europe under its wings -, and is not a threat to anyone Not by choice, Russians still think the collapse of USSR a tragic mistake, and Putin’s rhetoric ties directly back to it. Russian “defence” spending is skyrocketing, Russia is holding frequent manoeuvres righ in NATO borders, keeps flying bombers ever-so-slightly into NATO country airspace’s... and most of all, Russia shows it is more than happy to apply brute force to achieve political goals. In Ukraine, Georgia, who’s next? Denmark, Poland and Sweden, not to mention the Baltic states, are rightly concerned about Russia’s posturing. If it’s not meant to be intimidating and creating a low-level Cold War, then it’s a very odd way of showing neighbourly love. I’m sure comparisons to American imperialism will follow, and maybe justifiably so. But crucially, US does not invade European countries, voila the pertinent difference.

throwaway56034 6y ago
Russian “defence” spending is skyrocketing, This is wrong, it barely keeps up with inflation: https://www.sipri.org/commentary/topical-backgrounder/2020/russias-military-spending-frequently-asked-questions https://www.sipri.org/commentary/topical-backgrounder/2020/r... This is a whopping 9% of the yearly defense spending of the US.
- Jarolis 6y ago
  The US is irrelevant for European defense though. They're no longer a reliable partner and nobody seriously believes we can rely on them if anything does happen. So we're down to France and Germany, and I'm not sure Germany's military is particularly competent. The way I see it, Russia is far more efficient at defense spending than most of the EU countries, so they're a legitimate threat even if they "only" match France in spending.
- redflame7 6y ago
  Yea The US's GDP is roughly 13 times that of Russia. It's not even close to the way it was during the Cold War.

throwaway56034 6y ago

Russian “defence” spending is skyrocketing, This is wrong, it barely keeps up with inflation: https://www.sipri.org/commentary/topical-backgrounder/2020/russias-military-spending-frequently-asked-questions https://www.sipri.org/commentary/topical-backgrounder/2020/r... This is a whopping 9% of the yearly defense spending of the US.

Jarolis 6y ago
The US is irrelevant for European defense though. They're no longer a reliable partner and nobody seriously believes we can rely on them if anything does happen. So we're down to France and Germany, and I'm not sure Germany's military is particularly competent. The way I see it, Russia is far more efficient at defense spending than most of the EU countries, so they're a legitimate threat even if they "only" match France in spending.
redflame7 6y ago
Yea The US's GDP is roughly 13 times that of Russia. It's not even close to the way it was during the Cold War.