Russia is enjoying a resurgence in popularity among Americans. The fur hat, or mexovaya chopka, is now worn by hipsters and CNN news anchors alike. The New York City subway is emblazoned with Stolichnaya vodka ads mimicking Soviet agitprop. And Russian President Vladimir Putin just got crowned TIME Magazine's person of the year.
All of which begs the question: Why do we suddenly care so much about Russia? Its economy is still smaller than Portugal's, its nuclear stockpile is no...
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