Reply #4: I wouldn't underestimate Russia [View All]

[AsiaExpat]

Russians are very well educated and typically have a much more intense work ethic than many Americans. After having worked in the country for some years, it is clear that Russians approaches many problems with a sledge hammer, but it is difficult to argue about their many successes. It should not be forgotten that the Shock Doctrine was brutally applied to Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. This is something not forgotten by many Russians who suffered the consequences and still survived on the strength of their character. The comment of one of my best friends in Moscow is quite interesting. This is a person who grew up in the Soviet Union, but has spent here professional life in the "New Russia" and enjoys making money. She says she has no desire to visit the U.S. because it is a "too aggressive country". As a person who grew up during the height of the cold war, I found this statement quite interesting, but also quite true (particularly with regard to the Bush junta).
But I digress -- a point is that although the Russian economy does have a dependence on oil exports, the U.S. extremely dependent on oil imports - and is not galloping to end this dependency. Russia has a small (and decreasing) population with far more than enough oil to meet its needs. Perhaps the low price of oil will be a problem for Russia, but the U.S. has much bigger problems with its lifestyle dependence on oil that it doesn't have. Perhaps the real problem is that, to the detriment of the rest of the world, both Russians and Americans are extremely nationalistic.