i mean, at the perimeter, there is NATO, which many say should have begun a stand-down and slow dismantling upon the dissolution of USSR. But, NATO did do that, hardware-wise. So maybe the problem is in the Kremlin itself, and there is little the west can do but try to –here we go again –contain.

BTW, its the Crimea more so than Ukraine –as a way of framing mentally. The Crimean War was a big deal –very severe and harsh. Began over a France vs Russia dispute over the certain protocols having to do with Palestine. Gave the west a major icon of duty, honor, bravery, and deadly futility, “The Charge of the Light Brigade”.