All faithful dubs are looking to any nation that seems to be opposed to the Anglo-American world power to become the new KOTN.
What they are forgetting is that the one big side effect of globalisation is that the interdependencies between nations are simply getting more tightly wound together making the effects of conflict far greater.
Putin may have re-ignited a real love of mother Russia and promoted a sense of solidarity against the West but he is bright enough to know that very few at home really want to see trade and development with the West closed down let alone anything approaching the days of the Cold War and actual conflict.
This is why his response to the frankly childish efforts of Obama to undermine Trump's impending administration by provoking the Russians is very clever and I speak as someone who can't stand Trump or Putin. He has completely defused the situation, taken the moral high ground and kept things from escalating, not because he is weak but because he knows that he doesn't need full blown conflict with the West to keep his people happy - in fact it would do the opposite.
JDubs are wishing the world into conflict yet economics is forcing the world to cooperate and they just can't see it.