PUTIN GETTING STRONGER?

Is Vladimir Putin flexing his muscle now that a relatively successful Socci 2014 Olympic Games as the political winds blowing at his back? What does this mean for Russia's main ally (and thorn in the international communities side) Syria? What about the terrorist flowing into that region? With the political situation in Damascus teetering every moment, will Putin move to shore up his allies there and use his Government to prop up the current regime?