Russia has been engulfed in a sludge of news stories about supposed collusion with the Donald Trump presidential election campaign, none of which is holding water.  In fact, the unpleasant sense is emerging that the Federal Bureau of Investigation might have cooked the fiction up as a pretext to Get Trump.  It's unfortunate, because President Trump's desire for good relations with Russia was one of the better reasons for voting for him and it's obvious domestic politics is blocking that. But beyond that, another Russia is emerging, one redolent with the winds of war, which Russia-watchers should pay attention to. A short summary of a few recent long pieces paints a less optimistic picture, possibly due to Russia's domestic politics, Russia's own military buildup and desire to regain its former superpower status, and/or the U.S.'s and NATO's recent heavy-handed actions.  I recommend four pieces worth reading: First, Julia Ioffe's...(Read Full Post)