European Parliament calls on Russia to stop human rights violations in Crimea, and to return it to Ukraine

Just barely, and it would be very naive to assume there are no more challenges coming. Politically they are at odds more than ever due to increasing economic inequality. And over the last year social and cultural differences are flaring up all over and only getting worse. Sounds like the opposite of the unity that the EU depends on to survive.

I am not so sure about all this. Are you? If so, what makes you think this way? People were announcing the fall of the EU since it began. It is the same as saying that the stock price is going to fall. The possibility of a crisis is true, but it carries no weight in a long term. The economic inequality is rampant everywhere, not only EU and so are social and cultural differences. European unity is the goal, not a prerequisite of the EU. There's always been a lack of unity and any crisis can either bring together or pull apart. The UK referendum will be very important in relation to the refugee crisis. If UK stays in, it will show the success of the EU.

Which is exactly why America is doing everything it can to slow it down.

Is it really US or is there more to it? US doesn't want Russia on it's knees, because that would make Russia very dangerous and unpredictable. It was Putin's foreign policy to intervene in Ukraine, which brought economic sanctions and current problems. I guess now comes the time where you say that there was a fascist coup in Ukraine by NATO, Aliens, EU, whatever, but if you followed Maidan, you saw all the determined people who wanted to move away from the post-Soviet identity and fought hard for it. Anyway, my point is that Russian elites fail to diversify the economy, promote growth and useful foreign policy. There are plenty of cronies that enjoy the luxury of the current establishment, they are the ones that try to keep it that way. Georgia and Ukraine are good examples. The breakdown of the post-soviet establishment in the neighbouring countries will make the political elites lose all their assets, hence the reaction. Do you really believe 'saving Russian minorities' is not a pretext that has been used by numerous countries for centuries? This goes much deeper and US is only partially responsible, since it promotes Western values and collective defence, the two things that are very attractive for countries with the Soviet past and threatening neighbours.

Russia is already asserting regional hegemony

Is it really? Influence, yes. Hegemony, far from it. Russian economy is slowing down due to sanctions and oil prices, the affair in the Middle East is more like a show to the domestic population rather than assertion of dominance (which can only be done with a robust economy).

Illusions, as are the rules themselves. Rules are only as realistic as their enforcement. With Ukraine, Russia has proven to the world that America can't even enforce these rules it sets for everyone else to follow but ignores itself.

They are not illusions, they are constructs. Illusions have no effect, constructs do. US has no obligation to enforce anything, especially against a nuclear power. By not playing by the rules, Russia loses prestige and becomes less attractive and more threatening to its neighbours. How is this not losing out?

The current system was set up by and plays into the interests of the globalists and internationalists that control western media and political power, and it harms the average Russian citizens significantly more than the Russian elite.

It does harm the average citizen more, but the harm comes from the exclusion, not from the access to markets and liberal values. The exclusion itself is created by the political elites who's interests are to stay wealthy and in power. Why do you think the current Russian anti-West narrative became prominent after the coloured revolutions? Why it became so active during the Ukraine crisis? People in power are horrified of change, so they will portray other options as 'immoral', 'fascist', 'imperialistic' or whatever, as long as average citizens are distracted from the domestic issues such as corruption, income inequality, rampant poverty and so on.

Countries that promote the system are doing quite well. Here's HDI and GINI (Data from 2014). It is easy to see that Russian citizens have more to gain by following this system and playing by the rules, rather than opposing it. People in Georgia and Ukraine became aware of it and they paid the iron price.

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