AH YES, I REMEMBER IT WELL – During the Cold War, including its hotter moments, the Soviet Union and its allies would claim that troops fighting for various Communist causes were "volunteers."  Just proud, patriotic guys who wanted to join the struggle for social justice.   The term is now returning.  Oh, Putin's nostalgia for the good old Kremlin days.  Is there any end to it?  From The New York Times: 

MOSCOW — Ratcheting up the confrontation over the Syria war, Russia said Monday that its “volunteer” ground forces would join the fight, and NATO warned the Kremlin after at least one Russian warplane trespassed into Turkey’s airspace.

The saber-rattling on both sides reflected a dangerous new big-power entanglement in the war, as longstanding differences between Russia and the United States over President Bashar al-Assad of Syria and his opponents increasingly play out not only in the halls of the United Nations but on the battlefield in Syria.

Russia squared off with Turkey and its NATO allies, calling the air incursion on Saturday an innocent mistake because of foul weather — a claim American officials rejected.

News services said late Monday that a second airspace violation might have been committed on Sunday, but that report could not be immediately confirmed.

The Russian air and ground deployments in Syria challenge the regional policies of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, President Obama and NATO.

COMMENT:  I'm not sure they necessarily challenge the policies of Obama.  I'm not sure he even cares.  But he has to put on an act.

Oh, by the way, please note the name of one candidate for president who seems to have no problem with Russian activity in the Mideast.  His name is Donald Trump, and some of his foreign-policy positions are bizarre, and way to the left.  As far as I'm concerned, that disqualifies him for the Republican nomination, but apparently others disagree.

October 6, 2015