Militarism is a quick and dirty road to revitalising a nation that's lost its spirit, and that's exactly what Putin is trying to do. It's also what Bush is trying to do. It's great for getting popularity fast from a conservative nation. Everyone gets jobs, the nation gets prestige, the flag gets waved, countries that have annoyed you in the past get intimidated.
The trouble, however, is once the militarist has finished parading his nice shiny tanks and planes, he realised that they're not useful for anything and that he's ruined the economy and will have to fire thousands of people who build these fine artillery pieces or use them because he's got nothing left to pay them with. He can't sell them, because militarism is unilateral and great for pissing off everyone else, and you don't want to give superior weapons to your enemies, do you?
So usually the militarist decides to invade someone with all of this otherwise useless military garbage, and take their resources instead. Which is what has happened in every militarist state from here to civilisation beginning. I can't believe that after the two greatest wars in history last century and a cold war that almost destroyed the world, people are STILL doing this crap.
