Every fantasy eventually meets its reality check. What we fail to recognize is the fall of the Soviet Union was a serious reality check for Russia. We like to personalize it all about Putin, but he is like the Taliban is to Afghanistan, coming from some core of national identity, even if our own powers that be find him inconvenient.

The problem now is the United States and Europe are heading for their own reality check and it will make what Russia went through seem like a bad day at the office.