http://www.eurasianhome.org/xml/t/opinion.xml?lang=en&nic=opinion&pid=797

Regarding the other comments made in that piece, it can be quite fascinating to read what someone from another nationality says about another one.

The rest of the commentary is oh so typical of snide anti-Russian sentiment purporting not to be anti-Russian.

The rest of that commentary is typical of the snide anti-Russian mind-set to be found among some non-Russians, who purport not to be anti-Russian.

This is very true. I read somewhere that the US donates far more money to Russia to combat this problem than Russia spends on solving the problem itself. Yet HIV/AIDS as a subject is barely mentioned in Russian society. I guess it’s easier to celebrate Putin’s grandstanding speeches and Sochi’s olympic win.

“Of the two, does Brazil have less a degree of a wealth disparity between the very rich and poor? I sense that Russia might’ve more millionaires than Brazil. In comparison to Russia, I (nevertheless) also get the impression that Brazil has the greater overall socio-economic disparity.”

The web sources I’ve googled suggest that Brazil has a higher Gini index than Russia, even after Russia’s transition in the 1990s.

The UNDP Russia site claims that “HDI levels in Moscow are comparable with the Czech Republic and Malta, levels in Tyumen Region are comparable with Hungary and Poland, while St Petersburg and Tatarstan are comparable with Bulgaria, although Russia’s “second capital” is significantly behind the Baltic States. Russia’s weakest HDI regions – Ingushetia and Tyva – are comparable with Mongolia, Guatemala and Tajikistan.”

Referencing Wikipedia, , Brazil seems to have more areas and more people living in poverty than Russia, especially in the Northeast region, but Brazil’s overall HDI of 0.792 in 2004 compares well to Russia’s HDI of 0.797 in that same year. Russia has seen higher GDP per capita growth than Brazil, mind, so the gap has widened since then.

Regardless, I think the data supports my contention that Russia and Brazil are geopolitical entities of roughly equivalent heft.

“Greater political diversity doesn’t necessarily mean better government. Italy has had many governments, due to that country’s dissatisfaction with whoever runs it. America has a two party system which some describe as a one party system, sub-divided in two. In Russia, other political groupings besides United Russia play lead roles in different parts of that country.”

This is true, but America, Italy, and Brazil haven’t seen similar levels of overt state manipulation of politics in a while. Public policy is contested in those countries in a way that doesn’t seem to exist in Russia. This is a problem.

“Like other places (US included), Russia’s healthcare can definitely improve for sure. I’ve heard several sources say that part of Russia’s healtcare problems have to do with the attitude many Russians take towards health.”

It’s true that other countries’ public health systems could stand improvement, but Russia’s could stand much more improvement than most. The extent of HIV’s penetration of Russia’s population is truly horrifying and unparalleled anywhere in Europe outside of the former Soviet Union, surpassing even the levels found in the United States and the larger countries of Latin America. HIV is of particualr importance as a barometer, since the epidemic’s effect is concentrated overwhelmingly among young populations of working age. Russia is already suffering a major shortfall in its young population. How much worse off will it be with a pendemic further reduce this vital segment?