US Officials Formally Accuse Russia Of Hacking To Influence Election

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/us-officials-accuse-russia-hacking-election

Russia Seeks to Reopen Military Bases in Vietnam and Cuba

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/08/world/europe/russia-seeks-to-reopen-military-bases-in-vietnam-and-cuba.html?_r=0

Russia's parliament on Friday ratified a treaty with Syria that allows Russian troops to stay indefinitely in the Mideast country

http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2016-10-07/russia-lawmakers-mull-indefinite-military-presence-in-syria

US allies Estonia, Finland say Russian jets violated air space

http://www.smh.com.au/world/us-allies-estonia-finland-say-russian-jets-violated-air-space-20161007-grxr9i.html

Russia launches massive nuclear war training exercise with '40 million people'

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russia-nuclear-weapon-training-attack-radiation-moscow-vladimir-putin-a7345461.html

Russia's very dangerous, yet hats off to her tactics. Day in, day out, she's creating new fronts.




Russia's ramping up of hostile actions reflects not so much a disregard for its international reputation, as some commentators have suggested, as an urgent concern in Moscow at the prospect of impending conflict with the West.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/10/07/opinions/russia-ramping-up-hostile-action-keir-giles/

I think it would be unrealistic to expect Russia, with perhaps the second most powerful military, not to seek extension of its sphere of influence. The USA does this continually. Since the fall of the USSR, the American military has edged ever closer to Russia, through Afghanistan, the Baltic States, Finland, and Ukraine.  In the face of the Bush and Obama interventions in the Middle East, there is no earthly reason why Russia should not do the same. Painting Assad as bad, and the Syrian rebels as good, is delusional. So I am glad to see Russia step in, and not let the USA set up another Islamic State under the guise of a so-called Democracy. Don't forget, at bottom, its about oil or religion; two filthy subjects.

As to Cuba, the Castro brothers are presented with a strange proposition considering their incredibly ill-advised choice to have previous Russian military installations. If a present day repeat did not invoke the Monroe Doctrine, it would indicate the USA is finished as a World Power. No US President wants to be that guy. Could two old men in Cuba be so stupid, or would they happily watch their grand and great grand children slaughter each other? I like to think that men whose Revolution was supposed to benefit the people, would think twice.

I agree entirely with issue voter. Russia is a great power and will do what great powers do.

The most important issue as far as I am concerned is that the west needs to maintain a close relationship with Russia as a bulwark against Islam's insidious inroads, which Russia also has to deal with on its frontiers.
I would sign a pact with the devil to secure an ally in that battle.