Over the past century, Russian leaders, excepting one, have sought to present themselves before their own government and their people by how well they waged conflict with the West. Put more bluntly, they have remained dedicated to the notion that military and global territorial dominance over the United States (U.S.) was paramount in their perception of a misguided and grossly overestimated race to the top that too often left behind the welfare of their people. Authoritarian leadership in the guise of a Soviet Communist state with its focus on the growth of its military-industrial might, finally caused the economic demise of their regime and, with it, the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. It will do the same in the current century. … More Domestic Putin (Part 1)