There’s the possibility that Russia will opt for what we consider to be China’s military strategy for Taiwan: change the facts on the ground so fast that your opponent’s military options are annulled, then settle into the dance of diplomacy that somehow never ends — all while sending troops to Georgia for “stabilization and humanitarian purposes.”

All of this is made easier if Russia can establish a pretext and make itself the aggrieved reactor. I don’t think this will happen, mind, but it’s something to think about.

And the timing is suspicious.