Submitted by DemocracyRules, Oct 12, 2007 20:08

"In many neighbourhoods, in many countries, there is a drunken guy who throws beer bottles, bullies his neighbours, starts fights for no reason, and who no one likes.

Is this the international image Russia wants? That is how bad it is getting. After communism collapsed, Russia's leaders decided to be little tzars, dictatorial, unsympathetic to their own people, expansionist, and international hegemonist pains in the ass. Giving nuclear tech to North Korea and Iran, selling arms to Syria and Venezuela, and other rotten countries, it's as if Russia's leaders have a, 'what nasty thing can I do today' list, and every day they add more stuff.

Russia is bigger than Canada, loaded with resources and opportunities, and I can't imagine what it would do with more land. Russians could be as rich as sultans with what they already have. Do Russia's leaders just think it's fun to veto things at the UN, block sensible international proposals, interfere with democracies, and bully other countries? Do they think they can re-establish world dominance by being rotten, while they impoverish their own population with their incompetence? Can't Russia try just being nice for once?

Canada, with a tiny 31 million people, is one of the G7 countries, the seven most important economies, because we love democracy, like capitalism, got rich doing it, and now oppose and fight despots and tyrants worldwide. We are not a neutral country, but we invented peacekeeping, and if we had not intervened in the Suez Crisis, Russia and the USA might now be blasted-out deserts. An international poll recently found that Canada has the most admirers, and the fewest enemies in the world. In that sense we have the greatest international influence, per person, in the world, and we did not do it by selling nuclear weapons to rogue states, or blackmailing our oil customers (Canada has more than 10 times the oil reserves of Russia, and we make solid, fair deals with customers, and stick by the agreements through thick and thin).

Russia has a total GDP comparable to Italy, which has only a fraction of Russia's population, and Russia will soon to be poorer per person than China. Russia's leaders need to stop hungering for world influence, and work harder to improve their own country.

Note: Comments are screened, and in some cases edited, before posting. We reserve the right to reject anything we find objectionable.