Are you serious? The middle east strife, is being financed by the Russians, through Iran...the Russians covet an natural gas pipeline from the super rich South Pars/North Dome Field. Which Iran shares (sic) with Qatar. That 'is' what the Syrian war really is about...Russia's destabilizing the area. Protecting it's vast investment into monopolizing natural gas on the World Island.
And that is fairly sweet gas...if you know what sweet gas is?
Why do you think they would put S-300's and S-400's in Syria? Why are they selling the future S-500, 600, 700 systems to BRICS partners India and China? The 600 and 700 systems are hypersonic, and nuclear capable (thus the need for an new INF Treaty).
That gas BTW is the largest sweet gas find in history -- 1,800 Trillion cubic/ft; 50 Billion barrels (8 Billion cubic metres) of natural gas condensates -- and to release it, gluts the market and the price of LNG (Luquid Natural Gas) plummets. The Russians as a BRICS nation, has contracted to supply the vast needs of LNG to China. And covets the E.U. market -- and stimulates it with it's weather wars.
This a tag team match to bust the balls of America and bring that economy to collapse. That an act of war. The middle east is a Russian shit storm.
Do you know how much money Russian Oligarchy have invested in gas..? Do you know much money Putin and the St Peterburg mob of 100 or so billionaires raped their own country for...after the collapse of the Soviet Union?
Putin is the richest man on the planet...somewhere in the range of $200 Billion -- and that is considered on the light side, if you include the St Peterburg mob's total worth.. All stolen when he ran the KGB -- now turned FSB --stolen from Mother Russia. The Russian Federation is a crime organization. Ever heard of Sergei Leonidovich Magnitsky?
The Russians are the biggest mind game going, and they have a lot invested in their 'Fifth Column' -- dumbed down kids, trashing the Christian west for a few rubles...and their brain dead Marxist ideology.
The Russians under Putin have been selling what ever technology they have to the highest bidder. And arms sales are at high with supplying so many factions in the middle east through Iran.
I'm not doubting what you say about Russia and Putin channeling money for himself. I do know Russian history well enough to know what happened after the collapse of Soviet Union. (By the way, the rise of Russian mafia during the 90s is very interesting topic). But you do still understand the harm that US interventions have brought to middle east? Overthrowing dictators just to prolong the ongoing profitable situation. Funding the terrorist groups. And all that because of Russia?
Everything about Russia and its economy seems to be linked to gas. (English term "sweet gas" was new for me). In the middle east and in Ukraine for example (European dependency of Russian gas, US intervention there and so on...) And everything about USA seems to be linked to oil.
But I don't think that Russia could be a real threat for US, not economically not militarily. These two are in the whole different league. Russia is not a superpower, like USSR was. But of course Russia has financial interests in the area.
It takes two to play this game... I don't think that everything has something to do with only Putin...