I read an article in the Sunday Times about a senior government aid (UK) who had spent 20 years in office in Russia in the embassy.
He recalls a fairly recent (couple of years old) altercation with his opposite number during a dinner where the conversation got heated somewhat and the russian lost his temper with him. The russion said to the brit: "You think we're all Barbarians here in Russia don't you?". Before the brit could answer, the russian said: !Well we **king well are, we always have been...if we can't earn respect in the world diplomatically then we will turn to the next best thing - fear!"
Think carefully what the world is looking at here....Putin is cold, calm and extremely ruthless. He is a trained assassin from his previous life. He thinks things through carefully, he spends time planning devious indirect methods of antagonising the west. He would have absolutely no compunction to cross the red line if he was directly attacked. Make no bones about this. He is the real McCoy.
Trump is a complete psycho. The man is unhinged. He is unfit for running a business never mind the most poewrfull country on earth.
Mankind will continue to teeter between stability and extinction as long as these two forces occupy the same space.
Be afraid, guys, be very afraid.