You’re exactly right with that second part. The Cold War never ended, it just got colder. We severely underestimated the deviousness of Russian leadership. They 100% started playing the long game once they realized they lost the short game in 1991.

Doesn’t anyone remember the veiled threat Putin publicly gave Trump when he took office again? It was something along the lines of Putin re-emphasizing who was truly in charge… as if he had some kind of blackmail on Trump.