Russia Rising

This article (New Russia, new threat - Los Angeles Times) provides an overview of recent Russian foreign policy, post-Soviet Union, with a focus on moves by Putin to change the orientation of Russia to the West:

But today, integration with the West is no longer a goal of Russian foreign policy. Putin instead seeks to balance his and other nations' power against that of the West and the United States in particular. Resuming strategic-bomber missions, conducting joint military exercises with other countries and threatening U.S. allies such as Georgia reflect the fundamental shift in Kremlin thinking about global politics and constitute new potential threats to U.S. influence.

If balance is the new goal, and given the extraordinary U.S. presence in the Middle East, is it only a matter of time before Russia reasserts direct influence in the Middle East?