if only it was red
well, even then, a multipolar world awaits
I’d even be content with the early 2000s progressive Putin. But we don’t operate in the world in our dreams just in the world we have.
Early 2000’s Putin also wanted to join NATO…
Russia in NATO would’ve taken power away from the US, which is why they didn’t agree to it. Right now Turkey is the only controversial ally that they need to keep in their good graces because the US needs them. Had Russia joined, the US would have to appease Russia’s desires in the region… a region in which many West Asian and North African (or “Middle Eastern), border Russia.
The US would’ve never chosen that option. The US doesn’t build strategic alliances or negotiate win/win deals… it’s all about bullying nations by sheer force.
That’s true. It probably would’ve been good for capitalism, but the Empire had a lose lose situation, and of course they’re going to pick the more openly violent and antagonistic path.
Honestly, for those reasons I'm glad things proceeded the way they did (though the infinitely preferable outcome would have been the Soviet Union never falling to such revisionist, liberal, imperialist-aspirant nonsense in the first place). It's often come to mind just how horrifying it would have been, if Russia had been allowed into NATO.
Anything that works as a foil to American power is good, at least for the moment Russia outwardly is a positive force in the world, even if internally the government are reactionary capitalist shitbags.
How???
Genuinely? Even if they went absolutely ham and executed a full Stalin 4 year plan mega socialist overhaul of the economy, where would Russia get the extra 4 trillion dollars minimum to take that spot? Implying that none of the current spot holders have their economies grow.
Russia is going to overtake India, Germany, Japan, Brazil, France, and the UK? All of them?
It’s possible but it would take a socialist government over a decade like the Soviet Union did. How does Putin expect to accomplish this?
I imagine this is in terms of PPP, and I don't see why Russia overtaking Germany, France, UK, or Brazil is in any way surprising. Pretty much, all the European countries are seeing their economies going into recession now, and it's not clear where Europe can get cheap energy at this point. The whole economic model Europe relied on is now invalidated. Meanwhile, Brazil has a large population, but Russia is still more industrialized as far as I know.
The reality is that the west intentionally undervalued Russian economy to paint Russia as being backwards. Russian rouble was one of the most undervalued currencies according to the big mac index https://www.economist.com/big-mac-index
At least in PPP Russia is already larger then Brazil, France and the UK, and Germany and Japan are both very quickly going down the shitter with no indications that they will ever bounce back anytime in the future. I don't think Russia will ever be larger then India going forward but hence 4th place instead of 3rd.
Right, the population is ultimately the big limiting factor for Russia. India has 1.4 billion people, and that translates to vastly large productive forces in the country. It just wouldn't make sense for a country of 144 million people to beat India in terms of productivity.