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The Power Of Russia

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The Russian Federation has been one of the world’s greatest Super Powers and it has been for well over a century. However, is Russia still considered the once great powerful nation that it once was? Although, prior to 2009, Russia was using weapons that were decades old, the superpower continued to maintain one of the largest militaries in the world. Russia’s economy suffered a dramatic hit due to a recession that it is slowly emerging from. The unwavering support of its allies has gradually dwindled due to recent actions Russia’s key leaders have taken; even so, there have been some key improvements over the last few years that prove Russia may be moving towards a brighter future. These few factors weigh into the debate and each …show more content…

Therefore, until the equipment and weapon arsenal have reached a complete state of improvement, the Russian military will continue to fall behind the rest of the World Super Powers. The state of the Russian economy does not make the situation any better. Oil makes up two-thirds of the total exports from Russia, despite multiple discussions to diversify resource reliance (David, 2017). The global financial crisis of 2009, coupled with “falling oil prices, international sanctions, and structural limitations pushed Russia into a deep recession in 2015, with the GDP falling by close to 4%.” (CIA World Factbook, 2017). The contracting economy continues into 2016, with the GDP falling another 0.6%, expecting to fall by another 5% in 2017 if oil continues below $40 per barrel. Without an immediate negotiation to either lift trade sanctions or find an alternative resource dependence, the economic decline will continue. Trade sanctions emplaced after the Crimea incident in 2014 were implemented by the European Union (EU) and the United States to target the Russian financial, energy, and defense sectors (Lee, 2016). The continued devaluation of the Russian ruble multiplied the effect of strain on the fledgling nation. Currency values fell approximately 50% since the middle of 2014; in turn, making it more expensive for Russia to import from other countries. The future of Russia’s economy is uncertain. Unless their leadership

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