Russia,US both heading in different directions?

Question

At the moment the US is declining in many different ways while Russian influence on the world stage is flourishing. And with Russia having strong international allies in the Middle East and also Asia. It is also turning itself into the new powerbase of weapons base technology and IT, how can the US compete when their world wide influence is in tatters and many people in the world see them as trying to tell the world what to do.

The new Russia of late is giving the world an option of choosing two or maybe three superpowers in the future instead of solely American hegemony.

America will not ever attack Russia because its a war that would be too costly and deadly on both sides. So is Russia now able to gain world wide influence while America is making far too many enemies in the world to have a viable chance in the future?

Answer 1

An excellent question. The Ruso-American struggle will definitely NOT be open conflict between the 2 sides. The new battlefield is the oilfield. Russia possesses vast reserves in petroleum and natural gas, and has been and will continue to use their resources as a political/economic influence. We have seen how, despite US disapproval, they have aided Iran with nuclear supplies / expertise. This cooperation serves not only to strengthen the ties between the 2 neighbors-of-the-Caspian, but to counter the negative PR that Rus is experiencing from the Islamic world due to their ongoing military campaign in Chechnya.
At the same time, Rus is controlling output to Europe via its pipeline network thru Belarus, as seen in the .gif link. Basically, Rus will make bank off its resources for the next few years (possibly decades) while the west continues to pay in excess of $60 per barrel until alternative energy is a reality.
Rus, while overtly aligned with the UN Security Council, has a major interest in fuelling the conflict over the Iranian Nuc program. Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, and if tensions escalate between the west and Iran, shipping lanes via the gulf will be rendered inoperable, and the only access to energy supplies will be thru Rus' pipelines (or the western-supported competing lines running thru the Caucus Region). They are playing both sides because it benefits them economically. But what else would you expect from a country which produces such outstanding chess masters... I know its long-winded, but I hope it helps.

Answer 2

hah, i don't know where exactly you are getting your information from, but Russia isn't exactly flourishing. European powers are asking the United States for Missle defense shields in Eastern Europe, and Russia is up in arms about it. Russia's influence isn't growing. Granted US prestige is declining at the moment but Russia's influence isn't a fraction of what America's is. US will eventually regain their influence the minute a country is attacked by a terrorist group and the Americans are asked to intervene.

Answer 3

Russia is recovering from the Soviet Union slowly. America is declining yes. In America the person that is robbing your house has more rights than you. America sadly has no allies because we kinda bombed all of them so ya America is declining and Russia is improving slowly but surely.

Answer 4

America has been fighting proxy-wars with Russia since the 50's, I think it's safe to say that they hold a grudge. They have supplied our enemies in every war we've ever fought and vice-verse. Russia is still a big threat to America and direct war with them is to risky, so it's the enemy of my enemy is my friend type of deal. At the end of the day, it's still the US v. Russia.