VP, your words about the hungry bear (your post below) ring very true to me. As oil prices have plummeted to nearly $50 a barrel, Russia is hurting big-time.

I believe we are about to witness something much bigger than it's invasion/annexation of parts of Ukraine. What Saudi Arabia is doing, most likely with the goal of hurting the U.S., is hurting Russia in an existential way I think, and Putin may very well decide that the Saudi oilfields would be better off in Russia's hands regardless of political consequences. For that matter, he knows full well that there really aren't any consequences with this current Obama administration.

So you have desperation combined with ambition combined with a sense of unaccountability.

VERY DANGEROUS!

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Speaking of "fireworks" and oil, ...

"The "fiscal break-even price" of oil needed to balance the Russian budget is now $117 a barrel."

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/finance/ambroseevans-pritchard/100026424/60-oil-will-finish-russias-putin-regime-says-hermitages-browder/

...and the current price of West Texas crude is 69 dollars. So, I'll asking once more, how dangerous is a hungery bear?

VP