Comments on: The Day America’s Empire Died

By: FranSix

FranSix — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:08:22 +0000

You know, considering that the Russians had gotten as far as California, and that Alaska was also a part of Russia at one time, The Hudson’s Bay Company wasn’t as great as all that back then.

By: Retvisan

Retvisan — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:02:22 +0000

Instead of bickering about petty bullshit, both countries should instead pay closer attention to the rising of China. 1/4 of world’s populations, expanding industrial and technological might, they would soon look into a traditional empire building - occupation of nearby lands. The ever-weakening RF is still dangerous but has the best return on invasion - untapped resources from Eastern Siberia and Russia’s Far East. With the Siberian resources, China will be a threat to American interests around the globe. It would be in the best interests of both Russia and USA to become friends. After all, both have the capitalist form of economy, both are democratic countries (at least on paper, and the US is no more democratic than the RF). It should start from the top and the media should carry the change in the ideology into the masses.
just my 2 cents

By: Roisky

Roisky — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 03:13:34 +0000

whitedevil the idiot, it is america who’ll be swamped with squalor and really turn into another mexico. Think before you fart with stinking stupidity.

By: Jack Boot

Jack Boot — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 20:50:34 +0000

The USA vs. Afghanistan and Iraq, and Russia vs. Chechnya and Georgia - rather pathetic, if Truth be told.
All these operations are glorified SWAT-team raids, rather than actual wars.
Neither Patton nor Zhukov would have been impressed…

Face it: Both America and Russia are in decline; both feature hollowed-out economies, and both remain competitive only in the weapons sector.

Russia is superior in the low end of the market (small arms, tanks, AFVs, etc) while America dominates the top end (missiles, planes, subs, etc).

Who will win; or rather, who will collapse first? Place your bets…

By: ewkeane

ewkeane — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:28:43 +0000

I was under the impression that the revolutionary stage of soviet communism ended because soviet party leadership saw that the west had adopted most of the tenants of marxist communism as public policy, thus an armed vanguard of the socialist workers was no longer needed. As the world continues to unionize into economic world councils, these nationalistic side shows will occur less and less. The route to world communism via the Fabian Highway is the program that works, slow but sure, like a blue turtle to the red hare. Reactionaries will fade by and by, frustrated by the masses indoctrinated with the revised Trotsky program. Witness americas election of Obama. Patience, comrades!

By: Commie

Commie — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 22:35:00 +0000

To Arfa: did you think Georgia kept some T72s from the Soviet days? Where did it purchase the T72? With whose money?

By: Arfa

Arfa — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:31:55 +0000

“Everything that the Georgians left behind, I mean everything, was American.”

Oh OK. That’ll be an American T72 tank, then?

By: Paul Non-Poet

Paul Non-Poet — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 04:02:16 +0000

When Russia first rolled in to SE my landlord (formerly operative in Russia after Yeltsin, I was there during Perestoika and Gorbachev) asked me what I would do in that situation. I said I would roll a medical relief ship with navy colors and 2 dozen journalists up to Poti and offload. Acknowledging but not requesting. Call the bluff. Ask them if they want to shoot first and turn it from a cold war to a hot one with the US.
I think the author isolates it well as a question of will. There is little question of ability. The Russian Federation made a display of will. And the west made a display of diplomacy.

By: VDV

VDV — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:31:56 +0000

First, the article is spot on. Second, there is lots of trash comments about Russia, although I saw some valid points, eg the WW2 reference. Let me clarify a couple of important things:
1. Russia is indeed weak and facing many problems. Yet everyone has its share of problems these days.
2. Whatever disadvantages Russia and Russians may have, Russia is not to be messed around with. Russia has always been weak for one reason or another, but throughout its history has always coped to rip its enemies apart when it comes to it. I do not recommend for anyone to try and test its steel. Many of the commenters here would speak German and work in a concentration camp, if not for the Russians - so please be discreet when you talk about them.

As for the USA, the country exists on printing dollars and building its debt pyramid, the largest pyramid on this planet. When it implodes (inevitably), this will be a disaster much worse than what is happening now, and that will be the logical shameful end of the US, a used to be global bully and parasite.

By: MeatProduct

MeatProduct — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 20:34:24 +0000

I fail to see any meaningful signs of American decline or Russia’ ascent. In any case, there’s no way to tell now, until the fog from this financial mess clears. All around, great reporting by Ames, as usual, but the suggested implications are a little stretched, it seems to me.

Russia’s recent surge was made possible by US’ preoccupation in Iraq, as well as Afghanistan. The US did not have the manpower or the clout to check Russia’s attempts to reestablish some of its former sphere of influence.

With the US’ withdrawal from Iraq, provided it can somehow wash its hands clean of the mess that country is bound to turn into, it will be more free to limit Russia’s exertions in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. And, as the US will be forced to abandon any active agenda in the Middle East, it will need a new foe. Who better than the Russians?

The new cold war begins.