Eurabia, Outskirts of

Vladimir Putin references Russia’s Topol-M and Bulava missiles in his state of the nation address, but avoiding payload destruction with hypersonic maneuver is arguably a less pressing matter for Russia than avoiding the demographic destruction he alludes to in the same address:

Expressing concern over what he said was an annual decline of nearly 700,000 people a year, Putin said that childcare benefits should be increased and other incentives created to raise the birthrate.

``We must at least stimulate the birth of a second child,'' said Putin, lamenting that concerns about housing, health care and education and income prompt many families to stop at one.

The excuses he wheels out are a red herring, as these factors are often worse in other countries. Russia’s 2-to-1 ratio of abortions to live births (still the world’s worst) needs the trajectory change.