NEWSWATCH: “Putin won 2016, but Russia has its limits as a superpower” – Washington Post/David Filipov
“… Putin heads into 2017 … having brokered a cease-fire in Syria that sidelined the United States … having won the praise of … Trump by declining to retaliate in response to the Obama administration’s decision to punish Moscow over its alleged interference in the U.S. election. … Putin is as popular as ever at home …. But Russia is not the Soviet Union, this is not the Cold War, and Moscow is not looking for world domination. Putin’s goal is limited to reducing U.S. influence while ensuring Russia’s vital interests, and the power he can project is still limited by a weak economy and a global reach that pales in comparison to that of the United States. …”