Comments by "LancesArmorStriking" (@LancesArmorStriking) on "Putin wants unlimited presidential terms" video.
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Hernando Malinche
"Russia was absolutely screwed over by the Mongols in 1200 to 1400s"
Yeah, so was everyone. Fucking China, with 2000 years of civilization and technology, fell to them, and were then ruled by the Yuan. Same with Persia. The only reason Japan survived is because of typhoons, and Poland was too far away.
"Constant struggle with Poland and Sweden"
Yeah.. that's how borders work. Was France weak because it was constantly fighting Britain? Or the other way around? Your threshold for 'not strong' is extremely low and not very logical to begin with. Also, ultimately beating Sweden, absorbing Finland for centuries, and denying Poland statehood for a large chunk of its own history doesn't seem too bad from the Russian perspective.
"Russia was weak in 1830's not being able to get Constantinople"
No, Russia was in an optimal position to take it from the dying Ottoman Empire. Seeing this, France, Britain, Austria, and Sardinia, all ganged up to prevent this from happening.
I don't know what you expected, but any country facing that kind of alliance- especially one just starting to modernize its military- would lose. If the Ottomans didn't have that support, we'd have Constantinople instead of Istanbul right now.
"Even now Russia is weak"
Yes, its influence is lessened considerably. That being said, the West gives it no credit at all for bouncing back so quickly following the collapse of the U.S.S.R.. Meanwhile, China never competed in the Cold War and so didn't spend all of its money spreading its ideology or restructuring its entire government and economy. Given its performance geopolitically today, after having lost over 1/5 of its land and 40% of its industrial capacity, Russia punches well above its weight.
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Hernando Malinche
I don't think you understand what 'strong' is. Mike Tyson had difficult fights, but that didn't make him weak.
Adversity will occur no matter how 'strong' a country is, so experiencing it isn't evidence in favor of or against it.
The fact that the two powers which had been fighting one another for centuries, along with Austria's support, all felt the need to set aside their differences and back the Ottomans against Russia shows how much of a threat they were. If Russia was so weak, why'd they do that?
As for Poland.. again, 'strength' doesn't mean undefeated or unchallenged, I fail to find any example of a string nation, then, by your definition. Literally every nation is 'weak' if your evidence for 'weakness' is fighting wars against other countries.
I agree, soft power is very much where Russia falls short, and China has massively succeeded there. But that isn't the only definition of power, nor strength. Russia managed to turn Western sanctions into a benefit to their domestic economy, and post-USSR has won virtually every border dispute it has brought up. It doesn't have economic sway (yet), but it does have tact and strategy.
Russia is behind China, but ahead of everyone besides them in that regard. It is also investing in Africa, SE Asia, and the Arctic. If it ever fosters a business environment, it will be a force to be reckoned with.
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