It's one of the reasons I'm so glad that our president has developed a relationship with Putin. All that mental ability should be turned to something constructive.
Russia still has a large army, navy, and air force as well. But I believe the Gulf War proved that their conventional armor and other equipment is significantly inferior to ours. So the prospect that they could come through the Fulda Gap and overwhelm Europe with conventional weapons and huge numbers is much less than it used to be.
I certainly believe in the principle of trust but verify, or rather, never trust to the point of giving your whole security into anyone's hands but your own. Things have changed in the world, however, and hopefully may change further. It seems to me that we have potential enemies out there much more dangerous and unfriendly to us than the Russians: namely, Islam and China. We should not turn our backs on the Russians or anyone else, but we should try to work with them because, despite the horrible history of Communism, Russia can be and hopefully will be one of our allies in the future. They have a long pre-revolutionary history of staving off the Mongol and Muslim threats. They are all the more important as Europe sinks further and further into decadence and no longer can be relied on--if they ever could.
The Russians are no longer trying to expand their boarders by military conquest. China has claimed ownership of the South China Sea, Sparley Islands, and Taiwan. China continously acts like a jerk whenever someone "hurts their feelings".
The biggest concern about China is that they view the United States as their biggest enemy at the same time that China is becoming an economic power.
If you are a country like Somalia, Saudia Arabia, Brazil, Germany or even Great Britain Russia is indeed a superpower simply because of the military hardware they have at their disposal. What the Russkies could do to any of those nations in a day, week or month is more than any of them are properly prepared to deal with. In this same perspective, Israel is a Middle East "Super Power", but whether they would be able to make war against us is another thing.
I suppose when we, in the west, talk about "Super Power" we mean the ability to sustain military dominance over an extended period of time. This implies that a nation's economy will not collapse because of said dominance.
(1) Develop and deploy a completely new generation of ICBM
(2) Continue--without letup--their massive Chemical, Biological and Nuclear weapons program
(3) Continue to construct a gigantic subterranean city--the size of Washington, D.C., under the Ural mountains.
And we are sending taxpayer funds to them on any number of pretenses. The money NASA sends does a quick U-turn and winds up in Swiss bank accounts...
--Boris
How can a third-worlder like Iran have any sub? By screwing their people, of course.
America's Fifth Column ... watch PBS documentary JIHAD! In America
Download 8 Mb zip file here (50 minute video)
The programs that were developed were based upon good science and many stolen US technologies. However, the subs mostly were and are major POS's I would get on a Soviet era boat while it was tied to the pier. They added new meaning to the term "pigboat" especially the older ones. You can buy an old Soviet diesel boat for about $500k US on the internet.
BTW the russian economy is reported to be about the size of Connecticut's currently - not so hot.
Any nation with the nuclear arsenal and nuclear delivery capabilities of Russia is still a "superpower" until such time as that nuclear arsenal and delivery capability rusts away and is no longer operational.
To call Russia a "once-superpower" until the latter occurs is dangerous self-delusion.
That is my contribution to enlightening the situation.
They are also broke. As in can't pay the rent.
They have oil. We need oil.
Bush just made a deal with Putin. Celebrate!