>>Enlighten me.
>>What is that policy ? Winking at Shalisquashwilly in Georgia ?
>
>You know the whole issue of Chechnya/Georgia/Nagorno Kharabak or anything in that area is all about oil and natural gas pipelines, otherwise nobody would care?
>
>It is also an area where the US pokes Russia when they want to apply pressure and have something to trade-off when they need something someplace else. A good example is the deal in 2001 to get staging rights and fly-over rights to set up forces in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to invade Afghanistan. In return we backed off in the Georgia/Chechnya area and gave Putin a lot more latitude to do what he wanted there. I am not sure what the deal is now with Georgia.
>
>But that is the way the game is played.


Finally honest assesment without 'global terrorist threats' , 'democracy vs tyrany' and other loads that are being dished out...
That is more like it.


>
>And the think-tanks you refer to are very realistic about Russia and are not bogged down in cold-war thinking. The issues are natural resources, banking and currency, and arms proliferation. There is nothing ideological about it. (and certainly nothing ideological about Putin. This would be the same game if Peter the Great were running the show)

Agree. There is nothing new or ideological in a shadowy world of harward educated paid pens.
Only problem with all that, is that Think Tanks should be all about ideas, about progressive thinking, about intelectual/moral
dignity and integrity. However, when it comes to this 'Elvis has left the building' long time ago.
What is left is very sad state of affairs.