Understanding the Growing Collaboration Between Russia and Iran 

This is precisely what Iranians say. There must be a balance of powers in the world and US has to get used to it.

I think there is a certain amount of depletion happening, as well as sustaining.

It's rather impressive the GDP cope is still going on. Russia clearly possesses a far more robust economy than any of the US vassals Spain/Italy/UK/Germany/Japan. Nominal GDP is not a great measure of RU relative economic weight. None of the aforementioned countries possess either the energy or the food security Russia does and most definitely not the indigenous MIB. They also don't demonstrate the social cohesion and patriotism Russians do. Could they have gathered the volunteers Russia has? Could they have withstood a total economic war GAE has imposed on Russia? Obviously not. These are minor powers in comparison. In 2014 for example, RU economy as measured by its GDP in dollars. dropped like 50% because of the sanctions related currency depreciation. Clearly this is an artifact of the nominal GDP calculation method and not reflective of reality. GDP (PPP) presents a far more realistic assessment of Russian economy, especially so since it's very autarkic with its import/GDP ratio being one of the world's lowest among the developed countries. Recently the new world bank report came out stating that Russia has been ahead of both Japan and Germany as far as GDP (PPP) is concerned. When the shadow economy is included, RU is almost twice the size of German economy. While this more than likely overestimate Russian economy in a certain sense, it does give one a better picture of how it's been able to cope with the GAE economic warfare.

There is no country in the world that is as good at creating enemy images as the US, that is truly unique.

@@linnyschlamm3310 counterpoint: Chinese propaganda against America. IF ONLY we were as baller as they depict us.

@@Piqued5 The hegemon will not lose its power and is striking all over the world. Unfortunately, that is the sad truth, according to the motto: “There can only be one!”, but the time is for change.

Vatniks are hilariously bad at your jobs.

Not quite sure what that means - using what measure?

Russia only wins if you count gdp PPP, anything else is shit

@@2000brettpaul If you just count artillery shells, Russia outproduces the entire West.

@@arthurrelke sure but PPP offers a more realistic assessment of Russian economy, the "GDP smaller than Italy" is a talking point that ridiculously underestimates the Russian economic weight.

according to the UN

❤a well REASONED argument. Your approach is more comprehensive and more REALISTIC.

In real dollar terms Russia is about the size of Texas, it is an economic pigmy. PPP is made for some folks in poor countries to feel better. Arms are sold in real dollars not in PPP dollars!

@@muchachopicaron "Real Dollar Terms" is becoming a thing of history, just like all the others before. The latest Russian PPP calculation comes from the IMF. By Western projections, Russia was supposed to collapse (due to sanctions) within 6 Months of invading Ukraine, based on their understand of the Russian economy. After 2 years however, Russia is stronger than ever and that is why the IMF came up with this calculation. The West realized they totally Messed Up and don't know what to do next, so they are just progressing us all to WW3.

@@muchachopicaron What you are saying does not tie up with the latest IMF assessment of Russia. How to explain PPP, let me see... Artillery is the King of the battlefield and inflicts the most casualties of all disciplines on the enemy soldiers. In "Real Dollars" Ukraine and their Western Backers are paying $3000.00 for each standard 155mm Artillery Shell (you can look it up) Russia is paying $400.00 for the equivalent. No wonder Russian can afford to lob 10 000 a day (Yes, that is a total of 10 Million shells so far) at Ukraine, while Ukraine can only return 2000 a day (only 2 Million over the war so far) Russia is producing 3 Million shells per year while ALL of the West can only produce 250k. Do you understand PPP better now? If not let me try it this way: I can take my lady to one of the decent Restaurants here in South Africa. I can have a 500g (1.1 pound) Rump Steak and she can have Chicken Cordon Bleu, Lasagna or Sushi, along with all the other treats and drinks, until we have had our fill. That will cost us about R800.00 (about $44.00) How much will that cost in the US?

@@andrewpienaar4522 what you are saying applies for goods produced internally but the small detail (not really) there isn’t a country which produces everything then those goods need to be purchased somewhere else, then my friend you would need to use your hard earned real dollars (nobody would accept imaginary PPP dollars). Russia produces low quality products in general, they sell oil, gas, gold and diamonds to the rest of the world, so if they want the real thing they would real hard currency. Do you think the Chinese, the Indians or North Koreans, who are selling stuff to Russia, would accept PPP rubles? Come on!

Or all is in your brainstorming only...?

The Russian army armed to their teeth couldn’t take Kyiv. Do you think a degraded army could beat Ukraine? This is not Berlin 1945, looks more like Afghanistan 1988.

​@@muchachopicaron You are just engaging in wishful thinking. Russians never intended to capture 3 million Kiev at the beginning of the war. It was simply impossible to do with 40 000 troops they had near Kiev. They wanted to force Zelenskyy to a negotiation table. Now Russians have 700 000 army in Ukraine with insurmountable Russian advantage in firepower and professional Ukrainian army mostly populates endless cemeteries across Ukraine. People Zelenskyy goons kidnap off the streets have zero motivation to die for Zelenskyy. Watch prof. John Mearsheimer, for example, if you want to know more about the conflict.

@@joshuapaul2022 well I don’t agree with Mearsheimer’s “realism” where the “poor” Russians have every right to kill and shoot anybody who dares to make their own decisions in what he describes the “near abroad”. The Ukrainians like any other people around the world have the right to join or reject any organisation. Who the hell is putin to dictate them what to do!? Oh come! Did the Russians never intent to capture Kyiv? Are you kidding? They lost their elite paratrooper division while trying, didn’t they? That was a serious operation.

Which makes it even more risky

​​@@felipe-viborUSA elites are desperate....?

On What EVIDENCE do you base this claim??

@@petergreen5337 They let criminals out of prison and pardon them for going to the Special Military Operation. How many Russian ships have been sunk with remote controlled speed boats? Russians are trying to leave Crimea. Trying to understand what is going on through so much obviously biased information is a problem.

@@petergreen5337 perhaps disinformation is evidence in the west.. ?

Qurious observation!