Instead of developing a strategy for Russia’s long-term recovery, Putin has adopted a reactive and opportunistic approach – one that can sometimes succeed, but only in the short term – to cope with domestic insecurity, perceived external threats, and the weakness of neighbors. He has waged unconventional war in the West, while pursuing closer ties with the East, raising the likelihood that Russia will end up acting as China’s junior partner, without access to the Western capital, technology, and contacts that it needs to reverse its decline.
普京采取投机取巧的被动方法（上述方法在某些情况下能够取得短期的成功）来应对国内动荡、国外威胁和邻国颓势，而不是为俄国制定长期的复苏战略。普京在对西方发动非常规战争的同时与东方拉近关系，使俄罗斯最终更有可能成为中国的低级合伙人，而放弃其扭转颓势所需要的西方世界的资金、技术和关系。