Russia is not the Soviet Union
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4/5/2014 Russia Is Not The Soviet Union | Indyposted http://www.indyposted.com/249540/russia-soviet-union/ 1/2 Russia Is Not The Soviet Union POLITICS , by Gene Giannotta Share on Facebook Share on Twitter In the wake of Russia’s annexation of Crimea earlier this month, observers have been eager to find apt historical comparisons. An obvious one was Nazi Germany’s Anschlussof Austria in 1938, which Adolf Hitler justified by asserting that all Germanic peoples should be under one government. Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, argued that ethnic Russians in Crimea needed not just Moscow’s protection but to become part of Russia again. Putin isn’t Hitler. But another comparison seems even more obvious, and probably harder to dismiss. That’s the one claiming that Putin’s Russia poses a threat on par with the Soviet Union. Easy to assume given the Cold War trappings of much of the crisis, but not quite true when you dig deeper into the facts of modern Russia. The Washington Post’s Adam Taylor did just that this week , offering some useful infographics with numbers comparing the West and East then and now. Specifically, it shows that while the USSR and its Warsaw Pact allies posed a considerable threat even toward the end of the Cold War, today’s Russian military is far less imposing. Back in 1986, the armed forces of NATO and the USSRWarsaw Pact each totaled more than twelve million when combining activeduty and reserves, with the East holding an advantage of almost two million. Today, Russia’s armed forces only number about 800,000, with an additional 2 million reservists. That poses little threat against NATO’s combined 6 million. The U.S. activeduty armed forces alone nearly doubles Russia’s. March 29, 2014
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Transcript of Russia is not the Soviet Union
4/5/2014 Russia Is Not The Soviet Union | Indyposted
http://www.indyposted.com/249540/russia-soviet-union/ 1/2
Russia Is Not The Soviet UnionPOLITICS , by Gene Giannotta
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
In the wake of Russia’s annexation of Crimea earlier this month, observers have been eager to find apthistorical comparisons. An obvious one was Nazi Germany’s Anschlussof Austria in 1938, which AdolfHitler justified by asserting that all Germanic peoples should be under one government. Vladimir Putin,meanwhile, argued that ethnic Russians in Crimea needed not just Moscow’s protection but to become partof Russia again.
Putin isn’t Hitler. But another comparison seems even more obvious, and probably harder to dismiss.That’s the one claiming that Putin’s Russia poses a threat on par with the Soviet Union. Easy to assumegiven the Cold War trappings of much of the crisis, but not quite true when you dig deeper into the facts ofmodern Russia.
The Washington Post’s Adam Taylor did just that this week, offering some useful infographics withnumbers comparing the West and East then and now. Specifically, it shows that while the USSR and itsWarsaw Pact allies posed a considerable threat even toward the end of the Cold War, today’s Russianmilitary is far less imposing.
Back in 1986, the armed forces of NATO and the USSRWarsaw Pact each totaled more than twelve millionwhen combining activeduty and reserves, with the East holding an advantage of almost two million. Today,Russia’s armed forces only number about 800,000, with an additional 2 million reservists. That poses littlethreat against NATO’s combined 6 million. The U.S. activeduty armed forces alone nearly doublesRussia’s.
March 29, 2014
4/5/2014 Russia Is Not The Soviet Union | Indyposted
http://www.indyposted.com/249540/russia-soviet-union/ 2/2
What Russia does still have an edge on is the number of nuclear weapons. Its arsenal remains more thandouble that of the United States’. But it isn’t the Soviet Union anymore, and certainly doesn’t hold the samelevel of geopolitical significance as the USSR did.
That makes Mitt Romney’s claim in 2012 that Russia is “our number one geopolitical foe” a bit hard toswallow. But hebrought it up again this month, and wasn’t the only one. Sen. John McCain (RAriz.), whoran against Obama in 2008, piled on the criticism when he said Obama “believes the cold war was over.Vladimir Putin doesn’t believe the cold war is over.”
That mindset probably helps explain in part why Putin does what he does, but it doesn’t really do much tojustify arguing that the world we live in is equivalent. International order has clearly been shaken, and theimplications of that could pose threats to American interests. Something along those lines is probably thekind of “foe” Romney meant, in a more nuanced way than some of his critics present. But Putin’s Russia,however much it might seek to antagonize U.S. hegemony, is simply not a military or ideological threat likethe old Soviet Union, even if he wishes it was and talks and acts accordingly.
[photo credit: Getty Images]
