My husband shares your view.
I see Russia as playing a very deceptive game these last couple of years. Seems like everybody they are friends with is an enemy of ours. And they are the ones who hustled the WMD out of Iraq, because they had "gift of Russia" written on most of them.
The question is whether they are just playing both ends against the middle in order to get as much money for their oil as possible, or are attempting a strategic realignment to include the Islamic world with them and China (and oil producing Latin American countries) as a major bloc against the U.S..
I tend also to believe the later, but think with radical Islam they are riding a tiger that will eat them eventually.
"The question is whether they are just playing both ends against the middle in order to get as much money for their oil as possible, or are attempting a strategic realignment to include the Islamic world with them and China (and oil producing Latin American countries) as a major bloc against the U.S."
It's not even a question. They are in way too deep for all "play both ends against the middle strategy". They give our enemies everything and the only thing they give us is words.