I mean seriously in almost every metric the USA dwarfs the russians.
US Russia
Population 325 million 143 million
GDP 19 trillion$ 1.4 trillion$
Military Budget 600 billion$ 60billion $
Fortune 500 companies 132 4 (lol)
Universities in top 100 32 1 (lol)
GDP per capita 59,000$ 10,000$ (lol)
Aircraft Carrriers 11 1(lol)
putin sponsered russian trolls need not reply
I mean they did got to space first
They have a lot of nuclear weapons, that's pretty much it
All of that means fuck-all when nukes are around, and the Russians have more and better nukes than anyone else.
Russia WAS considered a rival back when the Soviet Union was an actual superpower.
More and better tigers too.
USA needs a reason to maintain its gigantic war machine.
Because it is a convenient device for politicians and military leaders to achieve their goals due to public view from leftover Cold War propaganda.
>Trump has Russia ties! Impeach NOW!
>Clinton sold uranium to Russia!
>Well... Russia is still a huge super big power, so can you please give more funding to the military?
Nukes, war machines, satellites and rockets.
Because the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics were the two most powerful military forces the world had ever known. Either side could have dwarfed anything to ever come before them. If we had gone to war it would have made World War 2 look like a tryout league and if not killed us all then set humanity back into an actual dark age.
We didn't, USSR no longer exists but its tough to forget something like that. In spite of them being kind of a backwards shithole (like 'no roads' shithole, not just ignorant yokels) outside of the big cities and having a low quality of life Russia still has tremendous influence. Politically they are the only real rival to the United States, even if China is theoretically more powerful economically and militarily.
They also have several trade arrangements with neighboring countries that are substantially more important to those countries than they are to Russia. In particular the politics around their fuel and natural gas exports are huge to the countries involved but not even on the radar for most people in the United States.
The shitty part about Russia is how little the success of the country itself translates to success for individual people. The USSR was very prosperous for a couple decades as far as economic power goes but everyone still lived 10 years behind the West.
Honestly it's the same shit with the Middle East, especially Iran. Remember when people wanted to impeach Obama because he was a crypto-Muslim or something?
It's not a direct rival for global hegemony, but it is a very powerful country with the ability to upset American position in it's neighboring regions.
Most importantly, it is totally independent.
This alone makes them a threat. Putin stabilized Russia and made it relevant again. That's why Americans are doing everything they can to fuck with them, starting with Georgia.
shitposting like this is for /k/
I need more of those memes
Because of military industrial complex
well only 230 million or so americans are white or non-lower race.
Also I think most people know that Russia is only temporarily weak, if they re-absorb Ukraine and Belarus, that's another 50 million people, which brings things closer to parity.
Nukes were a mistake
China is still a paper tiger
Nukes and ww1 ruined warfare
hardly though
They contributed more to the space race
please give me more of these memes
The last time the Russians stood as a proper rival to the US was prior to 1989. After the de facto collapse of the Eastern Bloc, it was already over.
hehe
Im out, think theres not that many. I find those hilarious because they remind me of my russophobic polish freind.
russia doesnt do what US want and has the nukes to get away with it.
They have nukes and a leader with a big dick.
>muh Russian trolls influencing muh election
I sometimes wonder if this is more Trump 4D chess to anger the masses at foreign influence on our elections, then reveal that Israel is influenced every election since the 60's in much more real ways.
Russia decides who becomes becomes US president. That's why Russia is superior.
t. La Creatura
They won the space race
Aircraft carriers don't mean jack against a mostly land locked country.
Nuclear weapons, large industrial base and a robust aircraft industry. That's all you need to take on America. Russian aircraft are capable of flying to Russia to New York and back in one trip, making them a real threat. Then factor in their submarine fleet.
aircraft carriers are useful to cut off Russia's access to countries like Turkey, Syria, Iran, Pakistan, or China
>Why is Russia even considered a rival to the USA?
A leftover from the cold war. The carcass of the Soviet Union still makes some people think Russia is anywhere near the US in hard power.