I used to go to Stratfor's front page on a regular basis but in the last two years or so I've seriously questioned why these people's work is worth any price for a subscription. I figured out on my own that if a nation is visited by the US vice president and not the president then there's bad news to hear. This is why Biden visited Ukraine and Georgia while Obama went to Moscow. This is just one of numerous such examples I've noticed. And haven't these folks heard that the US is using routes through Russian airspace to resupply the Afghanistan presence? There's no reason to expect services such as Stratfor to have no agenda beyond collecting subscription revenue. I recommend saving the cost, reading news from free international sources and using one's own intelligence to sort it out.

Good think is that Russians are good in the game of chess. No matter what Stratford editor says, Russia cannot join the Anglo American project against Iran. To do so will harm Russia. Iran can be reassured by Russia by giving it strong defensives weapons and convincing Iran that its security can be assured by pursing nuclear technology for peaceful uses only. We know that ultimate aim of the Anglo American project is a full spectrum dominance over the entire world- including Iran and Russia.

This is called wishful thinking. The whole purpose of such outfits is to give elites what they WANT to hear. And at present, the elites, the real power behind the US throne, are still in the global dominance mood. The financial crisis did not affect them. Quite the contrary, the crisis brought them more money and more power over the taxpayer. The battle on the ground in US will now shift on how to cut teachers, avoid repairing bridges, roads, water and sewer systems, having firemen and policemen. This is taking all the heat away from those who took the money, and shifting it to the local and state politics. Yet, in spite of being flush with money, the strategy is not working. It is rather funny how hard is he trying to describe Russia as an insignificant country. This is rather telling. Who does he think is behind the growing role of Turkey? Or behind the confident Iran? Or behind the German determined push for Nord Stream? Or behind Italian/Turkish participation in South Stream Or behind the Turkish-Armenian rapprochement? Or behind the Azerbaijan's carefully calibrated role at "Ground Zero" of Caspian politics? Or Turkmenistan's inscrutability? You can spell it Russia, China or most of the time both. This is why feathers are flying in Bulgaria and Romania, to oust the "pro" Russian politicians. And this is why there will be "spontaneous" protests against Berlusconi around the globe. Turkey is untouchable, hence attempt at coopting. And what about Poland? The country that forgets nothing and learns nothing. It wants to be "important" to a friend afar, and enemy to neighbors. Both Germany and Russia. Good going!

This guy is unbelievable. In actuality, there is no Global power under his terms. If you want the definition of a global power as in ability to affect other countries, I think being able to coat the whole planet in nuclear explosions is an extreme power. I also think good foreign policy is a form in a different light. I think the only thing that defines global power in this man's mind is America's foreign interests reach globally because they want to affect nations to benefit from them. They are doing this globally. In that sense America is the only. Regionally, is the common way nations behave. Natural bi lateral relations with trade that have mutual benefit wouldn't be considered power as you aren't exploiting them. Russia's stance now with Iran has seemed to be affected by America or Israel as they are endlessly delaying Bushehr and the S-300 missile system. Both of which is feeding Anti Russian sentiment in the region for slighting a mutual bi-lateral deal. Russia doesn't receive mutual bilateral deals from the West. Only business transactions in oil and gas. Mutual bilateral investments are rare. Russia is expected to open borders to Western companies. While Russian one's are blocked in the West. I personally hate MacDonald's a restaurant that exploits people and nations. People get fat and wealth is extracted. This Stratfor is a joke! 2 million readers just to be told everything is okay in the Anglo-American empire.

Did he call China an under-developed Third World country? Then why did Obama run to Shanghai asking for a G-2? Why is Japan reviewing its foreign policy to accommodate China’s concerns and interests? How cocky he was, when he said a few billion dollars spent on illegal wars around the globe are nothing compared to their 14 Trillion per annum economy... And Iran is half surrounded by the former Soviet Union, why on earth would they form an alliance with America against Russia??? They must interview this guy again late next year, something tells me he’ll have a different story to tell...

@ lolo, Artyom, Bianca and Sarah, Because of their government, Russia will never be able to compete in a world economy and pull ahead. They can no longer push their neighbors around……those days are over. Without their oil and natural gas, to threaten ex-soviet states and even Western Europe, they have nothing.

@Nuta, Are you sying Oil and gas is nothing? Try driving your car or heating your home, or powering your industries without them lets see how you cope. Oil and gas is a Huge thing, so Russia has a Huge Thing going for them.