How can Russia stay a military power when its fertility rate is one of the lowest in the world?

Question

How can Russia stay a military power when its fertility rate is one of the lowest in the world?

Answer 1

No correlation.  Russia's strength lies in its considerable existing population and access to widespread natural resources.

Answer 2

how can you equate fertility rate with military power there is really no connection in my view.  and judging by what went down in Georgia the Russians have a kick *** military and looking at an list of their air force I think theirs is in a better state than ours is  We really need to retire the B-52 it is even older than I am and I am over 40

Answer 3

it wont be a power at all once is runs out of oil

then they are really screwed

Answer 4

Well you are asking a very broad question that can only be answered in the course of future history. Even then you have to ask yourself how you define a military power in the 20th century!

Let me start out by pointing out what happened with Rome and Greece around 200 BC. Greece had become very arrogant over the protection that Rome had granted them. The Romans over the last few decades had saved the Greeks from Philip V and Antiochus III. The Romans gave them total freedom, protected them, and asked for nothing in return.

The Greek population began to decline much like most of Europe today. The Greeks, exactly like the Europeans, felt superior culturally and eventually developed an anti-roman sentiment. We see that since peace has largely been guaranteed by the USA, birth rates in protected countries are falling. This is exactly what happened to Greece.

Russia is not exactly protected by the USA, but ask yourself who should they fear? The USA has brought a stable uneasy balance and Russia has decent Nuclear capabilities. If anything a handful of nukes will be sufficient to keep them safe and powerful.

Lets examine Greece again and what happened. Romans, as any student of history knows, where not conquerors and never wanted to rule the greeks. However the greeks had continued to test the Roman governments patience by waging war on each other. Each time Rome had to play Referee and break the fight up. Finally Rome could take no more and around 150 BC they burned Corinth. They made Greece into a number of provinces ruled by Rome.

I think Russia and Europe is a long way from this type of parallel. It does give us some insight as to what could happen if history repeats itself. Notice though that Greece was not defeated by a lack of people but rather by arrogance. The same is true for the Seleucid and Macedonains of the era.

Russia still has a large population and even in decline they can raise huge numbers soldiers. I really don't think Russia currently needs to worry about having babies to stay a world power. Russia has 22 million males that are capable of fighting. That number will hardly move over the next 5 years to 10 years. That is more than enough soldiers for a very lengthy conventional war.  

  

Answer 5

cos they are fat

Answer 6

They'll always be a military power, as long as they still have their stockpile of nukes.  Did you know that Russia and the US have never stood down from their launch readiness?  That means we could still be engulfed in the middle of a nuclear war within the next 10 minutes.  Kinda scary.