[Hash]

Ever since 1991, the old Russia, long disguised as USSR, is slowly falling apart, first with fall of USSR, then war with separatist breakaway region of Cechnia. In few years, perhaps, there will be no more Russia as we know it. Not that I care 'bout it but still a huge hole will appear on the map..Will its pieces be absorbed by China, Ukraine, or Poland? Will it remain a large piece of former Russian Federation with capital in Moscow but no no-Russian republics? Anyway, that country is now being left by history as time passes by and slowly fades away from world attention and someday no one will notice that Russia is no longer around..

[dcolton]

Originally posted by Hash:
Ever since 1991, the old Russia, long disguised as USSR, is slowly falling apart, first with fall of USSR, then war with separatist breakaway region of Cechnia. In few years, perhaps, there will be no more Russia as we know it. Not that I care 'bout it but still a huge hole will appear on the map..Will its pieces be absorbed by China, Ukraine, or Poland? Will it remain a large piece of former Russian Federation with capital in Moscow but no no-Russian republics? Anyway, that country is now being left by history as time passes by and slowly fades away from world attention and someday no one will notice that Russia is no longer around..

I wouldn't underestimate the russians. Terrorism will probably help them to recapture their identity and status in the world.

[Sven G]

I'm not so sure that today's Russia is better than the former "federation": probably, they are/were authoritarian in different ways, rather.

[macvillage.net]

You've got to be kidding me.

Russia isn't going anywhere.

If they survived this long... no problemo.

Cechnia will eventually go on it's own.. but big deal. They never considered themselves part of Russia or the USSR. They always identified themselves as Cechnia. It's like Frenchmen living in France during WWII never for a day called themselves German, despite being occupied by Germany.

[OreoCookie]

Well, the farther you go East, the poorer it gets, those regions often depend on aid from the (European) center of Russia. Don't bite the hand that feeds you.

[CreepingDeth]

Yeah, right.
They've been through numerous monarchies, a period of communist plots and takeovers from 1905-1917 when they took the palace. They've survived a cold war where we could have destroyed them, and getting rid of a failure government. I'd say they've gone through alot and are likely to be around for awhile.

[itistoday]

Russia is not going anywhere. Russia has been around longer than the united states�much longer. Russia's basically at a very low point right now, I forsee it strengthening�not weakening�in the future.

They lost more people in wars than populations of entire countries and still plod on. They're main problem is organization, as well as their infrastructure, but perhaps most importantly they need to improve their educational system.

[Wiskedjak]

Originally posted by itistoday:
Russia is not going anywhere. Russia has been around longer than the united states�much longer. Russia's basically at a very low point right now, I forsee it strengthening�not weakening�in the future.

When has Russia ever been at a high point? Low point is basically status quo for Russia. This is not a bad thing ... Russia thrives on hardship. They plough through adversities that would drive the citizens of most Western nations into the pits of depression.

[itistoday]

Originally posted by Wiskedjak:
When has Russia ever been at a high point? Low point is basically status quo for Russia. This is not a bad thing ... Russia thrives on hardship. They plough through adversities that would drive the citizens of most Western nations into the pits of depression.

Ironically it seems that Russia's high point was when the liberties of its people were most suppressed... This of course, is debatable.

[GeeYouEye]

Russia itself will continue for a very long time I think. Russian democracy, or the pretense of it anyway, started fading with the election of Putin. First he has the last privately owned national TV staion shut down, then he has the 15 divisions of the former KGB brought back under one office, and most recently he calls for the Kremlin to be able to appoint regional governors rather than direct election of them. Yeah, Russian democracy is dying, but the country itself will live on for a very long time.