re: #5 Nyet

A friend tonight dismissed my view of Russia as basically a failed state; he (a Bernie guy who voted for Hillary with great reluctance) claimed that Putin was really the most powerful man in the world, with a huge military, natural resources that provided much wealth to the nation, and the ability to reconquer those nations that had been part of the former Soviet Union without our being able to respond because we did not want to ignite a World War. Eastern Europe is in Russia’s sphere of influence, and we don’t have the capability of any real reaction to stop him.