Outlaw - I'm still waiting on that definition of "criminal rogue state". You've implied only one characteristic (duplicity). In the international system, what makes a state "criminal" and/or "rogue"?

Not sure how the article furthers the conversation; I've already made the argument that Russia is an empire. I'm inclined to agree with the idea that Russia is a "rogue" state in its behavior as a spoiler and its characteristics as an imperial state; but, alas, you still have not offered a definition of what actually constitutes a "rogue" state.