Superproblems

Parallels between the US and Russia are amusing to me. Not the social ones, those are just interesting. No it's the politics.

Both nations seem to find themselves suddenly at a loss in the international political realm. U.S. has lost a lot of its support not from 'Criminal Wars' like Iraq (as some would suggest) or 'being a bully' but because Communism fell. Communism is nothing more than a couple of dictatorships. That's what they really are now, China isn't communist, it's a dictatorship with semi-control over it's economy. So, the U.S. finds that it can't just say jump and see whole continents flying up in the air.

Similarly, Russia finds itself in an awkward place. After the fall of communism, Russia had a pretty little economic decline (read recession/collapse/currency explosion). Now they managed to right themselves with the help of soaring oil prices. Now they feel tough, and are trying to reassert their muscles against the west. The problem is, the ones they use to hold under their protective wing are now telling them to kiss off and mind their own business. They had a decade or two without to much russian oversight, and they're doing just fine thank you. But Russia doesn't like that, so they're using their new found economic and energy power to be a bully. Which is, of course, endearing their neighbors and the rest of the world to Russia.

Now throw things like Iran, terrorist-Islam, the EU as an almost coherent socio-economic entity, Iraq, rising oil prices, and Michael Moore* into the mix and you have a mess. The line isn't as simple anymore. There's less us versus them to clearly show the path, the waters are now muddy...and most of it's mud you'll sink waist deep into if you take a wrong step. Isn't life fun?

*I added the Michael Moore comment just for fun, he's not really more than an annoyance, no where near being a real problem.