Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark57
I think it's even more naive to think that our pushing for NATO membership of former Soviet satellite states and "missile defense systems" on Russia's borders can be considered as anything but instigation.
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I did not disagree with the above. I merely pointed out that the tone with which we did this was likely of little moment. Had we gone about this with the softest touch imaginable, it would have made little difference to Putin.
Edit: well, rather than instigation, you could look at it as putting into place the tools needed to forestall the USSR from rising again. Of course, it does little good to put up walls if one is not going to man them. With our forces, our concentration, occupied elsewhere, there was an opening, and Putin was clearly waiting for it.