[Mark57]

Originally Posted by rwmct

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.

Or, you could even call it a reckless and irresponsible foreign policy that has had the failed outcome that it's perpetrators were warned about but chose to ignore.