this post was submitted on 29 Feb 2024
3 points (100.0% liked)

World News

1957 readers
312 users here now

founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
top 13 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

if only it was red

well, even then, a multipolar world awaits

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Early 2000’s Putin also wanted to join NATO…

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (2 children)

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?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

The graph here shows it pretty clearly: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)

Germany is going to be easy to surpass given how much they've kneecapped themselves. Japan will take a bit longer but it's already very close.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

That's very interesting, and first time seeing this. Would be cool to see these figures re-cast without bullshit services such as finance and debt collection.

It's funny too how you can increase GDP just by charging for a service which was previously supplied for free eg healthcare and education.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 6 months ago

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.