A fading bear

A look at Russian demographics at the American Enterprise Institute blog shows why Russia is a waning power.

President Obama may think he can quickly “reset” the faltering U.S.-Russia relationship, but there is no “reset” button for the demographic woes that afflict Russia today. Demographic realities are unforgiving—and even under the best of circumstances, they change only slowly and gradually. For the next generation, Russia’s prospects—social, economic, and geopolitical—will be compromised by the tragic conditions we have described in these past five posts. Much as we may wish it were otherwise, a rapid turnaround in Russia’s dismal demographics does not look to be in the cards any time soon.