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Will we see Russia fail as a nation in our lifetimes? Probably not, but I would not be surprised if it were radically different than it is today in another 75 years. The reason is not war (at least not directly), but lack of a will to live. This is not something that commentators have seemed to grasp the fullness of yet, but Russia is not producing enough people through procreation (other European nations have similar problems, but Russia's seems to be the most drastic). This becomes a problem especially as the current generation ages, leaving fewer and fewer people of younger age capable of working so as to support the non-working elderly. Over the past decade or so Vladamir Putin has tried to encourage procreation on the part of the Russians to help stop the trend, but I'm not sure it has had any significant effect. In the middle of this problem is this fact from Jonathan Last's book on demographic issues: for every 10 live births, Russians are having 13 abortions. Also of note from the article on Last's book is this (my emphasis in bold):
"Russia has experienced population decline three times during the last century," writes Last. "Each period was marked by crisis. The first depopulation came from 1917 to 1923, as the Russian Empire was overthrown and the Soviet Union was forged. The second came during 1933 and 1934 as Joseph Stalin collectivized the country’s farmers, resulting in mil- lions of deaths. The third came during World War II, which cost the lives of 25 million Russians. (Remember: No nation has experienced long-term prosperity in the face of contracting population.)"
So can Russia survive this quieter crisis? I highly doubt so, barring some major event which shakes the foundation of Russian culture. The (sadly) ironic thing is that they are merely practicing what the West has told them is virtuous: sexual promiscuity is acceptable, birth control is a requirement, abortion is a right. These are the fruits of the left of decades past and of the left today. America is not presently facing the same situation as Russia (immigration compensates for lack of births), but we do see the indirect result of broken families, crime, and a constant move toward reliance upon the state. While we can learn much from the situation in Russia, at the very least it should be proof to us that the values espoused by the left are "wise" only in appearance; sexual liberation may have freed people of personal responsibility, but ultimately it leads to destruction from within.
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