Originally Posted by
etudiant
fdr,
Imho, the Maidan revolution transformed the situation for Russia, a previously friendly country became hostile. When the facts change, countries adjust their policies, else they fail, gradually or rapidly.
Russia's reaction was entirely predictable and was in fact predicted by most of the US foreign policy veterans who had experience in Russia. Unfortunately they were ignored.
You simply ignore the fact that nations want freedom. In your logic the bloody crushing of Hungary in 1956 was "predictable". In your logic the invasion to Czechoslovakia in 1968 was "predictable". Chechnya, Transnistria, Georgia, Ukraine all of them are supposed to be raped and subdued because Putin wants to be like tzar and no nation in the Russian zone of interest has any right to be independent and allied to defend itself from Russian aggression.
So I translate your thinking to the rest of the forum – anyone resisting Russian imperialism needs "denazification" and Russia has every right to invade, kill, rape and turn cities into rubble.
The time when Stalin and Hitler (and other dictators alike) agreed on marking the lands which they grabbed under their rule is over. We are lucky that your "foreign policy veterans" were ignored, now is the time to teach Russians a lesson.