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“Authoritarian strongman” works for me, thanks.

Not inaccurate, but highlights a less important aspect of Putin. In a world where few leaders are thinking long-term, he clearly is thinking many steps ahead (economically, geopolitically, and perhaps most importantly, culturally). This is very good for Russia itself, but potentially less so for the rest of the world. Certainly, I worry for countries like Poland, which could very easily find themselves next to a resurgent and dominating Russia. And the prospect of a Russian dominated axis reaching all the way to the middle east is quite concerning.

He is not Hitler (Illinois Nazis, OMG!!!), and certainly not a Soviet strongman (commie, OMG!!!). He is something else entirely: a highly motivated pragmatist who will probably lead Russia to greatness, or to ruin. But he will certainly outplay our current leadership (including the McCain's of the world), especially in their own backyard.