> It is a reasonable position. It is not. Russia does not have any say in what alliances other nations choose to join -- apart from the "last argument of kings

> It is a reasonable position. It is not. Russia does not have any say in what alliances other nations choose to join -- apart from the "last argument of kings" of course, and what's scary to me is that there are so many people like you around that seem to have this Clausewitz idea of war being "politics by other means" even in the present day. Your comment clearly makes excuses for Russia's actions, so no, in your case you are not keeping both of these thoughts in your head. Would you be so quick to defend the United States in the same manner if they had expressed concerns about Mexico's foreign policies for the past ten years? Or an invasion of an alternate-reality Cuba with a democratically elected government tomorrow?