Everything old is new again, as the old saying goes. One can't help but wonder if the retired pensioners from the various Western intelligence services who once worked against the Soviet Union feel that time has reversed somewhat of late. The resurgence of aggressive Russian military policy, first with Georgia, and now in the Ukraine must seem a bit of a blast from the past. For Russia's part, Putin is letting Europe know in no uncertain terms that Russia is back and ready for business. In a story published in Britain's The Telegraph, Putin warns Europe: “If I want to, I can take Kiev in two weeks.” It is indeed a bold move, however so far Putin is faring relatively well, all things considered. In the grand scheme of things the West has no serious interest in fighting a war over Ukraine, then again at the end of the day Putin likely doesn't neither.
For Putin, the the Ukraine is likely a probing action; to see how far the Western world has decayed, with an obviously weakened United States disengaging from their former muscular position around the globe. The West is weakening and the world knows it; Putin knows it and so does the Islamic State in the Middle East. Putin sees a chance to restore some of Russia's former glory by gobbling
up chunks of border land and he has gambled that the West will stomach
some success in order to avoid war. For now Putin and other aggressive actors around the globe will see how far they can push their luck; they will take little bits and pieces while the West wonders if this is 1939 or 1945 all over again. The plain truth is that this is not the Second World War returned nor is it the Cold War again. What we are seeing is a new situation that will have characteristics all of its own. There is a salient and immutable commonality from history however; perception of weakness is nearly always spurs on belligerents to pursue aggressive action. 
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