He's a shrewed player. He doesn't force NATO to a corner that they have to react. Push too much and I promise, there is that line. Above all, he takes his time, looks for the opportunity, waits with patience for the opening to emerge. Putin can wait for years. Any US president cannot, because at the most he has four or less years to go before the next election. (Even if Putin will have elections next year, btw)kybkh wrote:Putin showed restraint in Ukraine and Georgia. Either he's shrewd and just nibbling, scared of provoking international scorn or just beating the dogs back from his den.
What's important to notice is how Putin is control of the political realm in Russia. Now a weaker run-of-the-mill politbyro member Yeltsin had to go extreme lengths, even to deploy tanks on the streets and bombard the Parliament, to stay in power. Putin cuts opposition of before it can even gain serious ground. And Putin's information campaign has been quite successful in Russia. And Russians have well understood the hint that they do have a new tzar in the Kremlin, who's there for the long haul.
Hitler on the other hand wanted so badly a war, that he had it far too early for German military buildup. Armies usually don't go to war with training tanks.
