Russia policy: THINK about it. We're screwing up

[LuckyTheDog]

Imagine this

In a parallel universe, the Soviet Union does not dissolve, but, instead, it is the United States that falls apart. Our economy collapses. Our political institutions fall into disarray. Several states declare independence.

Now imagine that the leaders of the USSR strut about crowing about how they “won the cold War” and how they are the big boys on the block now. Suppose they also start arming some of our break-away states and inviting them to join their Warsaw Pact military alliance.

How would we react? Would we be right to feel that the Ruskies were being a bit overly provocative? Would we feel a ken desire to re-build our military and re-assert our power ASAP? Would such a situation tend to help bring to power our most paranoid elements? Would we be more likely to lash out militarily?

I am not defending what the Russians have done. But it was predictable. We know the Russians are paranoid. Yet, we have pursued a policy of making them even more so with our needless provocation. We had no business arming Georgia. We had no business pushing to get it into NATO. That was not a "peace through strength" policy. That was a "threaten and humiliate Russia" policy that was bound to backfire -- and it did.

[malaise]

1. A very sober post

Sadly you should expect responses like USA USA USA!!!

One day the US establishment will discover that they do not own the world. When you provoke strong countries, there will be a reaction.