Russia is a "credible thread" to the West for the same reason why the West was a credible threat to the USSR. The West was not going to roll tanks into Moscow (not after WWII anyway) but it provided an alternative model. Russia's potential for memetic sovereignty is the "threat"https://twitter.com/27khv/status/1167182491041587212 …
A "think tank" means you're infiltrated top to bottom by USG loyalists. An oil supply and nuclear weapons makes Russia different.