Gotta agree on that. Stalin was bad news, but it's disingenuous to suggest that he was "worse" than the other Bolsheviks. Worse, perhaps, in that he better understood the dark deeds that Bolshevism commanded to really "succeed" as far as it did.

The only thing Stalin was really good at was in crushing dissent, both within the Communist party and within soviet society as a whole. In terms of economic policy, diplomacy, and even military strategy (when he took a hand in it, instead of leaving it to competent men like Zhukov), the guy was really quite talentless, but he used his talent for purging to make it so that no-one could call him on his own talentlessness even for a long time after he was gone. (Sure, Khrushchev and the secret speech at the party congress in 1956, but there was a reason Khrushchev's run was short as it was)

Are people allowed to laugh and have fun in russia??? lol

Do Russians have a single European vs. Asian identity, or more than one, or none? What I mean is, if you asked Russians in western Russia and eastern Russia whether they thought of themselves as European or Asian, would they both choose the same one, or would they choose different ones, or would they say, "That doesn't even apply to me, I am only Russian"?

Why can't you guys ever defeat James Bond?

Well, it was in Stalin times when Soviet army crushed Nazi germany, don't forget about that.

Oh believe me I know how hard the 90's was for Russia, and I truly do think Putin was the right man for Russia.  Your country needed an authoritatian man to get Russia back into shape.

But now it just seems like Putin has surrounded himself with "Yes-men" and has made a big mistake.  I get the Russian point of view here and I honestly think that Russia wasn't totally in the wrong when it sent troops to Crimia.  Having said that I think this will end very badly for Russia if they fully invade the Ukraine.  This will happen:

1) Russia will become locked in a costly war with a real modern military.  Yes, Russia will totally when, but it isn't like you are fighting insurgents hiding in caves anymore.  They have tanks, jets, milions of soldiers, and modern weapons.  

2) America will fund the Ukrainian military and cause a prolonged war.

3) The Tartars will start an Anti-Russian insurgency

4) The Chechens will heat up their insurgency in Russia's time of weakness.

5) Some (not all) western powers will partially cripple Russia's economy.

So I guess my question is: What do you think of all this?

I study international law, and I really think Russia is in trouble this time...

American here, Michigan native. Sorry about the Cold War. Wish we could have just been friends instead of caught in that ideological struggle. Anyways. As a Russian, what do you admire about the U.S.A.? What are some things you think Russia does better than the U.S.? Thanks.

Also, I just want to say that I'm kind of over getting told to throw my hands up in the air. So there.

Yes. But I think the time it was sold we was not able to keep it with us by force, and that was a part of desision on selling it. 
Btw it was a nice trolling during opening (or closing) of Olumics. When American sportsmen go out in the mix was playing a popular Russian song with the words "Don't play a fool, Amerika! Give us back the Alaska land!" ))))) It was a nice touch ))) 

Don't know about this. In fact Nationality means almost nothing in Russia. You're Russian if you're feel yourself Russian, you can be German, Jew or Tatar - it doesn't matter. We love our new Russian actor Depardieu for example ))) We accept everyone who shares our mentality, it is one of the strenghs of Russia. )

Only Russian can live in the Siberean climat maybe... You know our population is very small comparing with our territory, and I think its a bit of a problem, we need more people.