Here is a really interesting article by Pat Buchanan:

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=22933

And excerpt:

"Russian President Vladimir Putin's invitation to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to visit Moscow is just the latest sign that, more than 16 years after the collapse of Soviet communism, Moscow is gravitating toward Cold War behavior. The old Soviet obsession -- fighting American imperialism -- remains undiluted. ...

"(A)t virtually every turn, Mr. Putin and the Russian leadership appear to be doing their best in ways large and small to marginalize and embarrass the United States and undercut U.S. foreign policy interests."


What makes this article very interesting is that it provides a clear description of a series of events that has led to the slow and gradual decline of relations between Russia and the West. Please note that the operative words here are "the west" and not the United States. In fact, Russia's looming belligerence may very well be more threatening to Western Europe than it is to the United States.