How majority of Russians see the role of Russia today?

[Jeremi]

Of course everyone is welcome to live a free life the way that suits them,alas the rhetoric of "we need to be strong" was used in Russia always when trying to abuse the other country.
Look at russian neighbours,baltic states,Lithuania,Poland and so on,how big is their dislike and distrust towards Russia.
You can live your life as you like as long as you dont invade someone else's life and russian idea of welfare is tyranny and domination,what benefits Russia should happen even at the expense of others ( see Checheyna or supporting genocide in Kosovo,also Afganistan,occupation of Poland or revision of history by attempting to show Jalta as a good thing ( which insulted Poland and many others).

In my opinion Russia as a country and a nation needs a social edcation that would redefine its world view current state of matters is unbearable.

[Balamut]

Seems like Russia exists only to piss people like you off.

[Alex_Ivanov]

Originally posted by Balamut
Seems like Russia exists only to piss people like you off.

Maybe it's our God-given mission - to piss some people off and thus to separate good ones from bad ones.

[Marita]

Jeremi
If you look a little at the history of my country you see it always had to defend itself. It was attacked many times during all its history except 1945-1985.
If you look objectively at modern world you see that as in any other epoch any people that wants to be independent ought to be strong.
Freedom and independence are not given, you always have to struggle for your freedom and independence. Isn't it so? A weak country would be defeated by foreign invaders earlier or later.
For example. Iraqi people wanted to live as they wanted. Don't you think they were going to invade the USA? It's absurd! But the USA invaded them, and they had no might to defend their country any way but in guerilla war.
We don't want to be invaded, we lived 40 years in the USSR after 1945 without being invaded - those were the most peaceful years in our history. That's because we were strong and ready to defend our country. So we don't want a war but we must be ready to defend our Motherland by all means.
Jeremi, I don't know where you are from, but if anybody attacks your country wouldn't you defend it? I think it's just.
Best regards,
Marita

[Jeremi]

Good point Marita and now a little history of your country from a poles point of view.

Throught history Russia attacked Poland and tried to destroy it as a country.
Throught history Russia commited numerous crimes against humanity like sending poles to syberia.
And between 1945 and 1999 we get russian terror in Checheyna and Afganistan,russian nationalists say it was for a reason but everyone else sees this for what it is- an unfounded act of war.

So marita Russia is an aggresive and oppresive state always looking to abuse others ( Turkey,Poland,Hungary,Baltic republics,minority like jews and tatars and so on)

As for USSR it was a tyrranical state that enforced other countries into communism and is throughtly hated abroad of Russia so no its not a peacefull history as you try to show it.

[Balamut]

Maybe it's our God-given mission - to piss some people off and thus to separate good ones from bad ones.

Heh Yea. We just discovered our life's porpose.

[Lebed]

"Russia is not so strong now, so its neighbours begin to occupy our territories - Amur islands. Kurily, etc."
Marita

Come on! Russia got BASHED in the russo-japanese war, and that pretty much started the downfall of the imperialistic views of russia in east asia (the looting of China by the european powers). Lost Manchouria, Port Arthur, Mukden and the logging concessions the royal family had in Korea. And god knows the kurils and sakhalin were always japanese. Russia started attacking Japanese colonies on Hokkaido in 1806. It's just that in a way, the USSR went on with the colonisation just like the Tsars did. You went on expending the empire, and now that you have suffered a big blow by the fall of the USSR, you are worried and regret the old days when you were THE power. BUt with time, things will change and will get better in RUssia. Russians are now free, but everything comes at a certain price.