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Funny how that works out, eh? It's also funny that the Bush regime has remained largely silent on the decidedly regressive and undemocratic "reforms" that Putin has made. I'm guessing that will change now that Putin is building missiles, is siding with Iran, and appears to be backing the EU on Kyoto and in economic matters.

   

Hmmm.....could it be that Russia's quiet weak time is over? Maybe the largest nation on earth has rebuilt it's economy enough to start to flex is hidden muscle?

   

That would be my guess. Russia has a very long tradition of countering the hegemony of other states when those states begin to infringe on Russian interests. That goes all the way back to the tsars.

The US is threatening Iran and has grossly infringed on states that used to be part of the USSR and have oil.

   

The higher the cost of oil the stronger Putin's Russia will become. Especially after the Yukos scandal.