Finland's Ministry of Defence has just released a new report titeled Russia of Challenges. Included in the report is this startling fact about Russia's demographic trends:
If no changes occur, within three decades the majority of the citizens of the Russian Federation will be Muslims.
This is a huge change taking place in a country with vast natural resources and a formidable nuclear arsenal.
There has been remarkably little discussion in the west about Russia's transformation into a muslim-majority nation.
How will this change influence the relationships Russia will have with NATO? How will a muslim Russia use its power in the Middle East? What type of islam will prevail in Russia? The answers to these questions will shape the latter half of the 21st century.
It will take some time, but at some stage in the future the Russian Federation may also have a president whose middle name is Hussein.