Can Russia Become A Superpower Again?

Putin's Russia -- Al Hazeera

As Vladimir Putin begins his third term as president, we ask if Russia can become a superpower once again.

Russia is the largest country on the planet. It straddles nine time zones, is the largest energy producer and possesses half the world's nuclear warheads.

But Russia is not the former Soviet Union.

Since the Cold War ended two decades ago, the new emerging Russia has been largely defined by two men, Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin.

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My Comment: Can Russia become a super power again? The Russian in me says yes .... the outsider in me says .... no. The economic resource base is there, but demographics coupled with a backward business/legal/political culture will not make this possible. Throw in serious security issues such as the Caucasus, Islamic radicals, and unstable former Soviet states on the borders .... the focus cannot be on becoming a super power .... instead .... the focus will be on it's borders and on it's weak economy.