What are Russia's dreams on the world stage? To be a "superpower" again? To be toe-to-toe with China, the United States, the EU? And what do the Russian people want?
Respect, friendship, trade --- or conflict, strife, war?
The USSR was a mighty but troubled amalgam of nations, peoples, cultures, etc. It existed primarily to serve Mother Russia -- but was not equally or even equitably governed! And so after a few decades there was strife -- and near revolution in places like Hungary, and Georgia, and in the Balkans. This strife was caused as much by individual countries striving to be "free" of the bonds of fealty imposed on them by Mother Russia.
And so the USSR broke down (as have all Empires throughout history) and became Russia "plus" -- with many other smaller countries. Some of those countries have now become truly independent and successful in their own right --- no longer just tributaries of the USSR.
And what does Russia dream of now? A return of the USSR? Or peace with its neighbors. Just because there are Russian speaking emigrants in a country -- that does not mean that the country is Russian. The Crimea is not Russia; the Ukraine is not Russia; Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania -- they are not Russia! Nor is Brooklyn, New York!
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