@ neolex: “Russia’s biggest enemy is itself, it’s backward insecure psyche with poor work ethic and lack of respect for private or public property…”

@ wretchard “If this scenario is true, Putin was playing with a weak hand. He is bluffing.”

Perception/image is just absolutely critical. I have to admit that probably the biggest factor for me in the media war has been seeing photos of the Russian army. They look ragtag. Some of them are shirtless, waving cigarettes, lounging on military hardware. That had the most dramatic effect on me as far as pulling the covers off the state of the Russian military. By contrast, the US trained Georgian army looks exceedingly professional in the photos I’ve seen.