Good luck with that Asia focus, Russia. Although it is quite possible that Russia is talking nicely about Russia's future partnership with China to conceal an effort to rebuild military power in Asia to cope with the China threat.
This fallback theory from that article might telegraph the misdirection:
The Chinese, Karaganov believes, will be clever and will not act as hegemon, at least not towards Russia. "And if they do, we'll quickly get together a coalition that will balance China."
Who will help balance China if Russia can't point Chinese hegemonic instincts away from Russia? Their pal Venezuela? Iran? Syria? Good luck with that, too.
So Russia alienates NATO and then thinks that NATO states will ride to their rescue when they get their nuts in a vise when China squeezes?
Seriously, somebody needs to explain to Putin that he's effing things up royally.
