Russia under President Putin has regained some of the global importance that it lost after the breakup of the Soviet Union. During the Cold War, Moscow had a significant presence in the Middle East where it supported proxies in its battle against the West. Russia’s recent advances in the region have been a reaction to the U.S.'s relative retreat. Although Putin is accredited with excellent strategic insight, his accomplishments are primarily good decisions made at the right moment. The escalation of the conflict between the U.S. and Iran is another development that the Kremlin views favorably as they see ... (full story)