As Western intelligence analysts increasingly suggest terrorism as the cause of the Oct. 31 crash of a Russian passenger jet in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, some might expect President Vladimir Putin to reconsider the wisdom of entangling his forces in the multinational campaign to contain Islamic State militants threatening to overrun Syria and oust its Kremlin-allied president, Bashar Assad. That expectation is likely to prove wrong. Putin's 15-year record of executing a more aggressive foreign policy suggests he will intensify Moscow's role in the conflict rather than retreat in fear of further retaliation by the Islamist extremists now in Russia's sights. Putin's flexing of military muscle...
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