As mentioned above: those time lasted for 5-8 years, was 70 years ago and was a achievement by the soviet union, not russia. When the brightest minds from poland, ukraine and kasakzhan come together, great things can be achieved. Russia alone was never and will never achieve goals like that on their own. Unions can achive big things when well educated people from different cultural backgrounds come together like in the US or EU. Imagine what a pacified, organized annd educated middle east Union from Egypt over Teheran to Kashga could come up with. Maybe in the third quarter of this century. Or in the next century.