Quote:
Originally Posted by Betonov
Putin is a control junkie.
His nutjobs are firmly under his yoke and if anyone goes out of line the FSB has a certain tea brand to serve.
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Actually, I'm surprised that Putin is still in power. I guess the military reforms and upgrades have done enough to please his masters that he hasn't been shipped off into retirement. The Syrian mission is probably part of this too.
In regards to antagonising the Russians, it's all a part of the Great Game really, the US maintains its role as the top power, but the EU, Russia and China all vey to try and either undermine the US or position themselves so that they benefit from what the US does. The Middle East is fracturing into three blocs right now, so pretty soon we're going to be looking at a form of proxy conflict there with the Saudis, Iran and the radical Islamic bloc looking to establish dominance, and smaller blocs, Kurds and the like, looking to exploit the situation and carve out their own bit of sand.
Besides, to be honest Catfish, given how well the EU has organised its response to the refugee crisis, can we really trust Europe to organise its own defence?
