[Afterguard]

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

I agree but remember that the man that said that about Stalin, Winston Churchill, was a life time enemy of Stalin and Communism. He knew that after Hitler was defeated that the Allies would have to deal with the Soviets as enemies. We may be able to rely on Putin as a friend for fighting terrorists, but we will likely have to deal with him as a powerful foe later.

[volunbeer]

Putin has to deal with his own problems first - Russia is a financial mess, has a booming Muslim population, and despite having massive natural resources it does not have the infrastructure (or money for it) to grow their economy. They are basically an oil state now and their fortunes follow those of oil and gas.

Their military is not the juggernaut they were made out to be during the cold war. They have some good equipment, but most of their stuff is still old and antiquated.

[nathanbedford]

Finally, after 40 replies we at last encounter someone who lifts his gaze a few degrees toward the horizon.

Good post.