USA: *Rank 19 *Score 73
Russia:*Rank 133 *Score 28
Posted on 08/09/2013 11:40:13 AM PDT by lbryce
The Russian Bear is stronger and more powerful than it has ever been before. Sadly, most Americans don't understand this. They still think of Russia as an "ex-superpower" that was rendered almost irrelevant when the Cold War ended. And yes, when the Cold War ended Russia was in rough shape. I got the chance to go over there in the early nineties, and at the time Russia was an economic disaster zone. Russian currency was so worthless that I joked that I could go exchange a 20 dollar bill and buy the Kremlin. But since that time Russia has roared back to life. Once Vladimir Putin became president, the Russian economy started to grow very rapidly. Today, Russia is an economic powerhouse that is blessed with an abundance of natural resources. Their debt to GDP ratio is extremely small, they actually run a trade surplus every year, and they have the second most powerful military on the entire planet. Anyone that underestimates Russia at this point is making a huge mistake. The Russian Bear is back, and today it is a more formidable adversary than it ever was at any point during the Cold War.
Just check out the following statistics. The following are 18 signs that Russia is rapidly catching up to the United States...
#1 Russia produces more oil than anyone else on the planet. The United States is in third place.
#2 Russia is the number two oil exporter in the world. The United States is forced to import more oil than anyone else in the world.
#3 Russia produces more natural gas than anyone else on the planet. The United States is in second place.
#4 Today, Russia supplies 34 percent of Europe's natural gas needs.
#5 The United States has a debt to GDP ratio of 101 percent. Russia has a debt to GDP ratio of about 8 percent.
#6 The United States had a trade deficit of more than half a trillion dollars last year. Russia consistently runs a large trade surplus.
#7 The United States has an unemployment rate of 7.4 percent. Russia has an unemployment rate of 5.4 percent.
#8 Since Vladimir Putin first became president of Russia, the Russian economy has grown at a very rapid pace. The following is from Wikipedia...
Under the presidency of Vladimir Putin Russia's economy saw the nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) double, climbing from 22nd to 11th largest in the world. The economy made real gains of an average 7% per year (1999: 6.5%, 2000: 10%, 2001: 5.7%, 2002: 4.9%, 2003: 7.3%, 2004: 7.2%, 2005: 6.4%, 2006: 8.2%, 2007: 8.5%, 2008: 5.2%), making it the 6th largest economy in the world in GDP(PPP). In 2007, Russia's GDP exceeded that of 1990, meaning it has overcome the devastating consequences of the recession in the 1990s.
During Putin's eight years in office, the industry grew by 75%, investments increased by 125%, and agricultural production and construction increased as well. Real incomes more than doubled and the average salary increased eightfold from $80 to $640. The volume of consumer credit between 2000–2006 increased 45 times, and during that same time period, the middle class grew from 8 million to 55 million, an increase of 7 times. The number of people living below the poverty line also decreased from 30% in 2000 to 14% in 2008.
#9 According to Bloomberg, Russia has added 570 metric tons of gold to their reserves over the past decade. In the United States, nobody seems to be quite sure how much gold the Federal Reserve actually has left.
#10 Moscow is the second most expensive city in the world. Meanwhile, the United States actually has the unfriendliest city in the world (Newark, New Jersey).
#11 More billionaires live in Moscow than in any other city on the globe.
#12 The Moscow metro system completely outclasses the subway systems in Washington D.C. and New York City.
#13 The United States has the most powerful military on the planet, but Russia is in second place.
#14 Russia has introduced a new "near silent" nuclear submarine which is far more quiet than anything the U.S. has...
The Borey Class submarine, dubbed Vladimir Monomakh, has a next generation nuclear reactor, can dive deeper than 1,200 feet, and carries up to 20 nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM).
Each of these "Bulava" ICBM's can carry ten detachable MIRV warheads, what they call "re-entry vehicles," capable of delivering 150 kiloton yields per warhead
#15 While Barack Obama is neutering the U.S. strategic nuclear arsenal, Vladimir Putin is working hard to modernize Russian nuclear forces.
#16 Russian missile forces will hold more than 200 drills during the second half of 2013.
#17 Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin made headlines all over the world when he climbed into the cockpit of Russia’s new "fifth generation" fighter jet and announced that it was far superior to the F-22 Raptor.
#18 It is estimated that Russia has more spies inside the United States today than it did at any point during the Cold War.
Unfortunately, whenever I write an article about Russia I find that most people simply do not get it. They will make statements such as "the Cold War is over" or "Russia is our friend" which show a complete and total lack of understanding of the current geopolitical situation.
Russia has been steadily building a stronger relationship with China, and collectively they represent the number one strategic threat to the United States.
Someday this will become abundantly clear to the American people. Hopefully it will not be too late by the time they realize it.
Many of the illustrations listed as indication of Russia's economic resurgence are dubious to say the least, very much beside the point in not proving anything, one way or another.
"Catching Up" to the United States is an ambiguous point of reference that means not a dam thing. "Catching up" can mean a myriad of things, achieved in myriad of ways that in a practical sense has no bearing regarding economic prowess, competitiveness.
Putin is as hardline as any former, old Cold War warrior could be, resents terribly Gorbachev's dismantling of the Soviet Empire, and yearns, is wholly nostalgic for the halcyon days of glory that was the now defunct Soviet Union having him look to counter the US, the West at every opportunity, even to Russia's own detriment. Providing Iran with nuclear technology is much as a detriment to Russia as it is to the West but as an old hardline Soviet sycophant was a propitious opportunity to poke the West in the eye too tempting to pass up.
The yawning economic chasm that has always emphatically defined the difference between that of capitalism vs. Bolshevikism, has certainly narrowed, despite the contraction of the USSR to a much lesser economic power that says more about the manner in which The US has atrophied economically than about Russia's "glorified" resurgence.
Isn’t Putin just dreamy?
Russia’s main problems are corruption and the influence of the mafia, and we are rapidly catching up in this country on both counts. No society can survive without the rule of law and property rights.
Every government at every level is nothing more than a set of robber barons plundering the citizens serfs for all the traffic will bear. You read about police excesses and the incessant attempts to disarm the populace. ALl of these are to ensure that the serfs don't resist.
We will probably match Russia with regard to the debt to GDP ratio by imitating Moscow - total default on old national debt eventually.
/johnny
printing trillions of dollars has cheapened our currency to the level of monopoly money. As a result, raw material commodity prices have increased significantly which has been the elixir bringing the big bad bear back.
(spahSEEbah)tovarish Bernake (Thank you Mr. Bernake)
Russia has more oil, but they cannot get it out of the ground. On the other hand, the US can get its oil out of the ground. They are just not allowed to.
Thanks for posting this. Interesting information.
Russians have taken the Christian values that made us great and ran with it while we’ve all but abandoned it. I guess it’s all part of the globalist plan to level the playing field.
Gah-spah-deen Putin knows that a butter-butt, whiny-ass, mirrror-loving queer is in the White House, and he is “full speed ahead!
Russia is a one trick pony like the Saudis.
When oil falls both the Russians and the Saudis will fall too.
Oil prices right now are three times that of natural gas and coal in the USA.
The oil business is incredibly cyclical.
The next big secular change for oil will be downward.
This time won’t be any different.
I concur. A few years back, maybe even a decade or so ago, talk of how the oil price drop at the time had Russia reeling from the unexpected shortfall in revenues.
Who wrote this? Putin’s mistress?
We and they have passed, going in opposite directions! They towards freedom, we towards tyranny.
Putin is an oil guy. So they’re going to repeat the pattern.
They’re not repositioning their economy to have more sources of revenue than just oil,
The Saudis too get 92 percent of their state revenues from oil. The saudi oil minister said they were a ok with fracking. Might have been he knew better. But one of the biggest oil fat cats in saudi arabia in an open letter to the editor actually publicly disputed the oil minister’s assertion. (something nearly unheard of in that part of the world.)
19. THE FOREIGNER is in power
“The Russian Bear is back, and today it is a more formidable adversary than it ever was at any point during the Cold War. “
And lookit who we have in the whitehouse...
All you need to know is that United States economy seven times larger and Russian population is less than half of US population.
Like two ships passing in the night, one the Titanic, the other, the Queen Mary.
Impressive. Thanks very much for posting. That’s information I would have been happy to be aware of before posting my comments. The article is much ado about nothing.I really should go to the Economic Collapse site and post the comment that the author go fug himself.
I don’t feel all that secure in US economic outlook. Bernake and his successor and ECB and Japan will continue flooding the world with worthless currency. This cannot continue for long without collapse to one degree or another.
You say the dollar as reserve currency will save us? Yes, but not for long. Russia/China conduct trade with no dollar transactions. Same China/Australia/New Zealand. Same between all the BRICS.
The dollar’s heyday is long past.
However, what the author has spotted is a trend:
Russia coming up as we go down.
They have one hell of a long way to go before they're close to even, but they are on the move in the right economic direction.
Hell, they even have a "Flat Income Tax!"
I must officially warn you. If you are going to lose your temper every time a gay guy from Africa sneaks into the Presidency, you will not be invited to the Barry-Reggie nuptials, taking place in June, 2016.
John Boehner and Lindsey Graham have agreed to be scatter the rose petals on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Reverend Wright officiating.
(From my sure to presently be tapped cellphone), in response
to Kenny Bunk:
SO WHAT!
BKMK
Return ALL Romney/Ryan yard signs, campaign buttons, and left-over flyers ASAP. It's folks like you who cost us the vital Soccer-Mom, Mexican Illegal (as Karl 'The Architect' Rove says. "The Republicans of the Future"), LGBT, American Indian, African-American, Single-Mom, Trayvon Martin Vote (Yes, he's voting).
In these difficult times, our new hep GOP must prove to the American voter (except white men) that the GOP can give you your EBT card, free health care, and Obamaphone, but in a much more efficient and cost-effective way, plus we have family values and are nicer, like totally non-judgmental people.
This di-no-mite platform, THIS, is surely the way to electoral victory. Ask Dole. Ask McCain, ask Mitt.
Dear SillyKenny,
I am a libertarian, a disabled military veteran,
and an American, born befote the erection and the
fall of the Berlin Wall, unlike you.
Bless’um you!
#2 Russia is the number two oil exporter in the world. The United States is forced to import more oil than anyone else in the world.
#11 More billionaires live in Moscow than in any other city on the globe.
#12 The Moscow metro system completely outclasses the subway systems in Washington D.C. and New York City.
#13 The United States has the most powerful military on the planet, but Russia is in second place.
Having an economy dominated by export of natural resources is not a sign of long term prosperity for sure, billioners are an effect of huge corruption, metro/military were built during Soviet era, by slaves. Russia got over total collapse of the 90’s but they still have huge problems, most of these points are either examples of pathology or Soviet era relics, in the long run the best they can achieve is not falling off the 2nd global league.
Both countries have huge problems. America is trying to stay the superpower, Russia is trying to stay the 2nd league power. China is the rising giant. Russia got back to Soviet level of GDP PPP, o wow, 20 years ago Chinese were all using bicycles for transport, now they buy more new cars than anyone else, this is growth on the scale unseen in the history of mankind.
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