Originally posted by Cthulwho
Definetly looks like Putin wants to revive the cold war. Obviously Russia doesn't have the will or expertise to become an economically successful western democracy, so they've realised that the only way people will take them seriously is if they pump up their military.
[edit on 23-8-2007 by Cthulwho]

I'm sorry, but this seems like a ridiculous statement to me. Firstly, Russia has come a long way economically since 1989. It's taken them almost 20 years to get this far and they're still working hard on improving the economy. Russia tried to complete in manufactering arms before Communism fell and it's why the Communist regime fell. Why in the world would Putin want to make the same mistake, which was so obvious?

With U.S. arms right in Russia's backyard and with the craziness of the present admin, I'd be concerned about being attacked, if I were Putin. Sounds to me like he's trying to do the right thing for Russia, in order to be protected. Who knows when/if WW3 will occur - better to be prepared. It also gives jobs to the citizens, which helps the economy.

What's wrong with Putin doing the same thing that America has done for decades, manufacturing arms to protect themselves?