Mark Carter14 As specified by Anthony Jones15:
I just finished reading an absolutely brilliant piece by the economist Jacques Sapir over at American Affairs. He dives deep into how the West completely misreads the actual scale of the Russian and Chinese economies. It’s such a fascinating read!
Let's take a serious look at the geostrategy behind the economies of Russia and China.
This is my absolute favorite mantra: the Russian economy is basically performing at the same level as Spain! 🤣
I totally see where you're coming from with the methodology, but I have to push back on the actual parameters. When we're looking at the scale of Russia and China, comparing them solely against the USA, Germany, France, or Spain just doesn't give the full picture. You really have to measure them against the combined strength of the EU and NATO to get an accurate sense of things!
When you look at the big picture, the EU is a real powerhouse. If we’re talking strictly about military dynamics, you have NATO on one side—a massive alliance with 31 full members and two key partners (Sweden is well on its way, and you can't exactly leave Ukraine out of the conversation while they're fighting a war with Russia). On the other side, you've got Russia, which is currently facing heavy sanctions. It's quite a lopsided matchup!
China’s strength can be measured against the power of the USA, but right now, it seems pretty clear they aren't looking to jump into a war with Ukraine or offer any overt military support to Russia. Even so, the energy trade at those sweet, discounted rates is still moving full steam ahead. While Japan might be picking up oil at prices above the cap, China is almost certainly scoring much better deals. At the end of the day, China needs that oil, but I get the feeling Russia needs China even more than the reverse!
If we’re looking at the numbers, a sanctioned Russia might actually be stronger than France, Germany, or Spain if you're just pitting them against each other one-on-one. But let's get real—they aren't even close to standing up to the EU, and they certainly can't touch NATO. When you look at the current landscape—where everything comes down to stockpiles of weapons and ammo, total production capacity, and sheer technological edge—it's pretty clear that Russia is losing ground.
Just for comparison:
The EU has about 447 million people living there!
The USA has 333 million people!
Russia has a population of 143 million people.
surface:
Russia is looking at roughly 17 million barrels per day.
Canada is about 10 million square miles!
USA ~10 million BTU
The EU hit 4.2 million cubic meters! That's such fantastic news!
It looks like Russia's attempt at a limited mobilization just didn't cut it against Ukraine's partial mobilization, especially considering the steady flow of NATO weaponry coming in. If you look at the math, Ukraine is essentially operating under a full-scale mobilization backed by a complete supply chain of NATO gear—though I suppose modern aircraft remains the big question mark there. Ultimately, Russia’s limited mobilization strategy simply hasn't been able to overcome that momentum.
It just can't be done! Win.
Poland has stepped up, promising to send troops if Ukraine faces a total collapse—though honestly, that kind of move would likely only happen if Russia went for full-scale mobilization. If we look at the numbers, a total mobilization from Russia versus a combined force from Ukraine and Poland puts Russia ahead with a 2:1 advantage in manpower. But here’s the kicker: when you factor in the full military potential of NATO—think cutting-edge aircraft and advanced tech, excluding nuclear options—it changes the math entirely against Russia.
It just can't be done! Win!
This is drifting a little bit from our main discussion on sanctions against Russia, but since we're all busy pointing out how much muscle Russia and China are flexing lately, I think we need to talk about the response. It’s not just about Germany or France acting on their own; we really need to see the full strength of the EU and NATO working together.
When it comes to patent disputes, the breakdown looks pretty clear: China and Russia are lining up against the United States, Japan, South Korea, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.
When you look at the big picture, you really have to weigh Russia (and potentially China) against the combined strength of all 31 NATO members plus two others. If we want to be truly realistic about the global balance, we should probably throw Japan and South Korea into the mix on the side of the West too! It’s quite a massive comparison when you break it down like that. 😁
To put this in different words:
If you try to frame the economies of China and Russia solely against Germany or France, rather than looking at them through the lens of the EU or NATO, you end up with a totally skewed picture of how much power these players actually hold. Honestly, it’s a mistake that can lead to some really poor decision-making!We shouldn't lose sight of one thing here: China isn't actually in a conflict, and while NATO is busy shipping out weapons, they aren't in a direct fight either. I just want to make sure nobody gets the wrong idea!
