I see Putin’s decision to skip the G-8 summit as the beginning of his self-isolation. The more repressive he becomes at home, the more uncomfortable he’ll be in settings — like NATO and the G-8 — that are dominated by democracies. And the less he interacts with the West, the less restrained he’ll feel from pursuing repressive policies at home. With Putin back in the Kremlin, Russia may soon find itself in the midst of this vicious cycle. It’s always difficult to make predictions about how authoritarian states will behave, but it looks like Russia’s relations with the West are about to enter extremely rough waters.
How long before Putin is banging a shoe on a table, vowing to bury us?
I can't help but thinking that "reset" wasn't supposed to go that far back.
And as I've said before, in one sense I can't blame President Obama for wanting to get as many of our troops out of landlocked Afghanistan where they rely on land lines of supply through Russia as soon as he can. Lord knows what those paranoid fruitcakes in the Kremlin are thinking these days.
Russia is so frustrating. They could have joined the West after dumping communism. I would have welcomed them.
Instead we get this. Now all we have to wonder about is whether they are dangerous fools.
