Vladimir Putin won a third term as president of Russia on Sunday using transparently fraudulent techniques that would make even an old-school Chicago pol blush: Putin's machine barred serious challengers, made sure he dominated national TV and, according to election observers, resorted to such crude tricks as driving voters to different polling places where they could vote over and over again. The outcome was never in doubt.  By Alexander Nemenov, AFP/Getty Images  A Russian flag featuring Vladimir Putin flies Monday in Moscow.  By Alexander Nemenov, AFP/Getty Images  A Russian flag featuring Vladimir Putin flies Monday in Moscow.  Ironically, Putin didn't have to steal the vote, though he did want to make sure he got the 50% necessary to avoid a runoff. (He ended up with more than 63%.) Pre-election polls showed he'd win despite a growing protest movement, which flared again Monday in Moscow but lacks the national reach to threaten Putin.  At least for now, Russians' anger at corruption and the cult of Putinism is trumped by the fear that Russia could slide back into the chaos and poverty of the 1990s, when the nation was groping its way out of the collapse of the Soviet Union. That helped persuade a majority of voters to choose a strong man like Putin to keep them from reliving that painful era.  More important for Americans than how Putin returned to the presidency, after four years as prime minister, is what he said while he ran and how he'll act now. During the campaign, Putin railed against the West and the United States, spinning dark conspiracy theories and calling protesters stooges of the West.  Opinions expressed in USA TODAY's editorials are decided by its Editorial Board, a demographically and ideologically diverse group that is separate from USA TODAY's news staff.  Most editorials are accompanied by an opposing view — a unique USA TODAY feature that allows readers to reach conclusions based on both sides of an argument rather than just the Editorial Board's point of view.  That doesn't sound promising, especially after four years during which the U.S. and Russia worked to "reset" relations under President Dmitry Medvedev, cooperating on Afghanistan, Iran and nuclear arms reductions.  Now, Putin's angry anti-U.S. rhetoric, and Russia's recent decision to defy the U.S. by vetoing a U.N. resolution condemning Syria, signal that the reset is endangered. That could complicate U.S. foreign policy in numerous ways, from new arms agreements to the war in Afghanistan to Iran's nuclear ambitions and the continuing fallout from the Arab Spring.  Russia, though not the existential threat the Soviet Union once was, remains a nuclear-armed, oil-rich nation that, under Putin, views itself more as a rival and a counterweight to the U.S. than an ally. His return hardly signals a new Cold War, but the U.S. could have its hands full keeping the diplomatic temperature from dropping.  , visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor  . For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to  . Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to  USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the
Never mind the tricks he used to get re-elected. What's more important now is how he'll conduct U.S.-Russia relations.