The brutal dictators that NATO travelled past to fight the Islamic State hadn't declared holy war on the West or encouraged their adherents to bomb its cities.

The brutal dictators that NATO travelled past to fight the Islamic State hadn't declared holy war on the West or encouraged their adherents to bomb its cities. Do make your mind up whether it's all NATO's fault for past interventions against brutal dictatorships or all NATO's fault for not intervening more against brutal dictatorships. The idea that small nations seeking powerful allies due to Russia's habit of military intervention everywhere on its borders that isn't capable of retaliating by levelling Russia cities is NATO "picking fights" is the reductio ad absurdum version of the Russian preemptive defence doctrine. Make no mistake, the reason Russia picked a fight with Ukraine is because of NATO not being willing to attack Russia in response.