Russia's on a roll. It has blocked Ukraine's turn to the West and claimed Crimea as a trophy. Finger-wagging Europeans are struggling with refugees, Brexit, populism, terrorism and a dozen chronic problems. Nervous Americans fear that Russian cybermasters will steal their secrets and manipulate their elections. Washington has reluctantly embraced Moscow as a needed military partner in the Middle East. Western sanctions, low oil prices and a weak economy haven’t diminished President Vladimir Putin's 82 percent approval rating - which is why his United Russia party just won a resounding victory in parliamentary elections.
But Russia has an important long-term problem, and it isn’t just its slowing economy. China is an increasingly serious challenger in regions that Russians consider part of their sphere of influence. It is not the West that will limit the expansion of Russian influence and prestige. It is China.
