I agrre with all the posts which state that Russia should be welcomed by all in the west. So long as the USA keeps it's distance and changes it's foreign policies drastically.(Perhaps with Obama this may actually happen). Russia has vast resources of oil and gas as well as many other minerals. They could be a very big player in world affairs if handled correctly and seriously. Also, if you recall, they tried for years to defeat the then "enemy" in Afghanistan, with tens of thousands more troops than we could muster in entirety - they could not. So why are we trying to do similar with so much less? The UK is no longer a world power and the government should accept this. The UK population no longer wish to pander to every whim of the USA. It is across the Atlantic Ocean that all the world's troubles are born. The USSR finally broke up because they could not compete financially with the USA and with the advent of modern communication systems, people all of the globe learned. However much our governments may wish to be recognised as a "Power" and appear to do "the right thing" we are no longer in a position to do it. As for being "governed " by the EU, what will they do if serious problems occur involving Rusia - capitulate as they have done in the past? Where does that leave the UK?.

handyted101 [28]: Starting a war is illegal defending yourself isnt. Hence the Afghan war is deemed to be legal and the Iraq war want. And the reason why Gordon Brown is blamed is he sold the gold reserves cheap, spends more money than he should and help cause a global recession by not regulating the banks properly. We had some of the worlds largest banks in the world.
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I take it that Gordon Brown is your hero who can do no wrong??

frankdineen [30]: I hope you are right that the cold war is over and hasnt just turned into a dim ember ready to reignite. But I disagree about the rationale for NATO being open. NATO is useful for defending us from a rogue state ie Little Satan has some big friends which must come to its aid if attacked.
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I cant see Russia joining the EU as it would have to sign upto a lot of human rights stuff that it is known to turn a blind eye to.

nobody told me they were after canadian parts best clean out me bunker just in case its like council tip inside i wouldnt get in with all my junk ive stored in it

alanwalker4946 [31]: Please Russia can we be your friend because we want your Oil & Gas?? You must be joking I hope. Russia has a lot of good points but it doesnt mean that we should turn a blind eye to what it does. Wasnt Estonia systematically hacked by Russia? Isnt the russian black market and corrupt a magntide larger than the Italians?? Isnt Russia building up its armed forces both in number and technology, for what reason?
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A stronger Russia is like a too strong a USA with Bush not good. We dont need power blokes which are too big and strong we need less.

At the end of the day. It's only something for the ruling elite to worry about. If russia ever becomes stronger than USA (Which I doubt) I'm sure the door will be open to switch sides. Our ruling classes will lose their jobs but life will go on for the ordinary folk.

Perhaps if we had extradited Little Boris Berezovsky in sept 2003 the polonium
poisining in London wouldnt have happened; and the ranting anti Russian Milliband
acting like a cloned Blair would not be Foreign Secretary. And perhaps Brown would
have called an Election.
Tough that Russia is so much more powerful than us with all that oil.Thats life.

Comment 10 has just about summed it up exactly; the modern, (and not so modern), Russia is all about Nationalism. It's scary to hear what Russians think about themselves and their rightful place in the world, unfortunately, they are used to 'strong' leaders and anyone who isn't, or appears not, to be strong, (Gorbachev for instance), is despised by the great unwashed. Even the 'intelligentsia' often have views that make @#$% look like a fawning sycophant.
Strong is not the same as loud, self-seeking and belligerent.

In the Cold war I saw Nato bombers flying towards the Soviet Border at near supersonic speeds to turn away at the last minute and be replced by another , and another......they (The Soviets) reacted and were kept guessing for the night..
One or two Bear and Badger bombers gave the press a few pictures with Lightning fighter Pilots exchanging waves with the Russian crew...real but would we overfly Russia uninvited any more than they could have done?

They were stronger then and a weaker or wounded apponent is often likely to be more dangerous. Mutual respect on some Diplomatic or cultural levels has to be good but this was never the Football field. Nucleaur deterants worked then. Economic muscle and control over power supplies are somewhere between.
Yes, Russia is more powerful and stable because of it.
They didn't crumble to the words of Maggie Thatcher but to the economic and political affairs within their own boarders. They have emerged, perhaps equal to China again.
Stability internally,a satisfied population(fed and paid) and mutual respect for trading partners (fed and paid)is the future pattern, hopefully.

"It wants to avoid Russia returning as a powerful, tantrum-prone, dangerous actor on the world stage."

I can't understand the thinking of the current British regime - well, I do in a way: it's typical New Labor muddle. Right now we are under the jackboot of just such an actor in the form of the United States of North America. If ever there was a volatile, tantrum-prone, divisive, militarist entity that is it. A powerful Russia would help restore the balance, keep the yelping redneck hounds at bay. The adversarial stance advocated towards Russia is simply the whingeing of bourgeois-capitalist pygmies in the west. Russia, in the dismantling of the Soviet Union, the Warsaw Pact and withdrawing from its partner states in eastern Europe, has made huge concessions. When is the west going to do the same?