CONFRONTING RUSSIA: “A resurgent Russia has turned from partner to antagonist as it seeks to reemerge as a global power,” was the blunt warning from Supreme NATO and U.S. European Commander Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti to Congress yesterday. “Accordingly, we are adjusting our posture, our plans, our readiness, so that we remain relevant to the threats we face,” he told the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday, and he appears before the House Armed Service Committee next week to repeat the message.

IN THE MIND OF PUTIN: Scaparrotti provided committee members with a map showing the borders of Russia today, compared to the Soviet Union in 1989. It showed how the border with Europe moved about 1,000 miles to the east. “That’s why I think the map’s illustrative, Scaparrotti explained, “because I think if you’re [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, you’re looking out from Moscow and you see what he would consider to be his strategic buffer.”