Is Putin a Bigger Threat Than ISIS?

Russia’s presence in the Middle East continues to grow as the Syrian crisis drags on.

During an interview on FOX Business Network’s Mornings with Maria, Garry Kasparov, a former world chess champion, provided his thoughts on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s motives in Syria.

“Putin keeps adding fire and testing the resolve of the United States and NATO because he has to show, back home, that he’s the leader, Vladimir the invincible, unbeatable, who can defy Americans,” Kasparov said.

The former world chess champ believes Putin could be a bigger threat than ISIS.

“Many in this country [the U.S.] and Europe believe ISIS is the number one threat,” he said. “I’m not going to undermine this threat, but it’s very much regional. It dominates the Sunni territories in Iraq and Syria… Putin can send his troops all over the place and he can test American resolve in different places, but of course [the] Middle East is a perfect place for Putin’s foreign policy adventure.”

On the struggling Russian economy, Kasparov said:

“Today’s Russia is just a pale shadow of the Soviet Union. It’s not as powerful economically, it’s not as powerful militarily, but it has a leader with a lot of political will who’s willing to defy the free world and the United States. Instead of using these advantages, starting with economic advantages and financial powers that could be used to bring down Putin’s regime, the United States is trying to cut a deal, and all these deals are one-way.”