> Iran and Putin, Turkey and Putin, China and Putin —> are buddy-buddy. <
Right. The US and NATO have made many stupid moves. But the failure of the US and Russia to form an alliance, that is by no means entirely America’s fault.
Putin is playing the short game, not the long game. And that will eventually bite Russia in the butt.
Exactly. And the people of Russia chose to capitalize on Western weakness rather than rebuild their country from within. Putin did what his people wanted. And they got the short term glory of Crimea, only to lose the long-term partnership with Ukraine and the readiness to embrace partnership with an incoming US President of a different sort. Putin and his cronies were banking on a Hillary win. Literally. Their system. Their “besieged fortress” ideology hinges on a weak U.S. and the people of Russia are growing tired of the Syria burden also.
And even now, many Russians remain more interested in avenging the fall of the Soviet Union and gaining back their Empire than the genuine fight for Christian civilization.