The Russian Bear Awakens

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In the 2012 presidential debates when GOP candidate Mitt Romney was asked who was America’s number one geopolitical foe, he answered Russia.  Many brushed aside his comments as belonging to an older generation of cold war crazies.  After all, the President had set a “reset button” with the Russians.  With the collapse of the Soviet Union, nobody knew what might happen to Russia.  As Winston Churchill once said, “Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside of an enigma.”  Many assumed that the Russians would come to accept democracy as many other former soviet states had.  Instead, they ended up with a quasi-democratic oligarchical dictatorship.  Under the charismatic  leadership of Vladimir Putin, Russia has reemerged as an energy giant and a figurehead for the anti-western nations.  It’s bullying behavior has destabilized eastern europe and made  the threat of a third world war all the more real.  The question facing many politicians is how can anyone exactly stop Russia.  

           Russia’s national gas is what provides many European nations their energy.  The threat of having electricity stop flowing to their countries forces many statesmen to appease Putin and give into his demands.  However, nearly a year after Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, the European Union is beginning to find ways to combat Putin’s energy monopoly.  Lead by Germany’s Angela Merkel, the Union has begun importing natural gas from alternative locations such as Canada, Norway, and Azerbaijan.  With the United States freezing Russian bank assets, the combined efforts has seen the Russian economy drop from being the world’s eighth largest to thirteenth.  And with the price of oil dropping to 68$ per barrel, European  and American consumers suffer less and less from the deficit of Russian gas while export profits for the Russians dry up.  of  As Russia’s economy continues to shrink, Western leaders predict that is is only a matter of time until Putin is forced to abandon his support for the insurgents in eastern Ukraine and his bully attitude.  

           However if there is one thing nations forget about Russia, it is it’s peoples resilience.  Having endured history's worst invasions, genocides, and governments, Russians view themselves as the preserving force for the Slavic culture and way of life which is increasingly becoming under attack from America’s cultural globalization.   Their fanaticism knows no bounds, as Putin has expressed that if greater hostilities were to break out between Russia and the West, he would rather see a world covered in nuclear radiation than a victorious America.  And with the United States backing off of its promises of military action in Syria after the usage of chemical weapons they no longer fear N.A.T.O. or the U.S’s resolve to go to war, thus explaining their unexpected boldness on the world stage.  Also, Russia has found new suppliers for its natural gas in the forms of China and India, with these new markets the Russian economy may bounce back from the recession that it has been facing in recent months.  

           In the ever changing geopolitical landscape, nothing is certain.  While certainly the limited economic sanctions have done some good in damaging the Russian economy, Russia has by no means given in.  If true change is to happen, other nations need to come in on the side of the West in their condemnation of Russia and contribute in sanctions.  Also, if Putin and the Russian people would have to recognize the force and authority that the United States and N.A.T.O carries then they would know not to risk disturbing the balance of power in the world.  That is how to solve the Russian question.