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WATCH THE KING OF THE NORTH

Russia flexes new muscle in Europe

The Christian Science Monitor
Thursday 04th October, 2007

President Putin’s muscle display sends a message to the West

From the Baltic’s to the Balkans, Russia's resurgence is beginning to tie Europe in
knots; creating tensions among nations and fears of ethnic instability and border dis-
putes, and divisions between the US and its continental partners.

…Many experts in Europe have been slow to
acknowledge Russia's resurgence. But
that is changing, largely due to recent Rus-
sian political, economic, and security moves,
including opposition to the proposed US
missile shield, Russia's cyber attack on Esto-
nia, Gazprom's control of gas to Europe, spy
scandal disputes with Britain, Russian
bomber violations of Norwegian airspace,
Moscow's reticence to sanction Iran on ura-
nium enrichment, and Russia's exploding
of the largest-ever non-nuclear bomb.

... To be sure, experts say, Russia has been
struggling itself over the past decade – after
a half-century of being at the center of the
cold war

President Putin in muscle display Putin took over a Russia with a weak govern-

ment, and has been steadily recentralizing authority in the Kremlin. But hold-

ing the world's largest natural gas reserves and substantial oil reserves in a hot energy

market, Russia is quickly developing cash assets. Putin's aim is to end Russia's humili-

ation and restore its sense of greatness, experts say. A key part of that is countering

US dominance.

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