My big worry instead, is do we (Europe) still have the capacity to act
effectively, without the aid of the United States?...it could all end very
embarrassingly for Europe and very triumphantly for Putin, IMHO. I'm pretty
certain one of the big lessons from the former Yugoslavia was that Europe needed
to take more responsibility for its own defence capabilities. Even then we
needed good ol' Uncle Sam, and our capabilities as a continent are far
diminished from then!!
That's exactly my point Bastardeaux, we (Europe) do not have that capacity. We would be heading into indirect, leading to direct, conflict with Russia. Without the support of the US, no chance. Putin does not strike me as someone to back down in the face of threats or (God forbid) sanctions. He's far too MACHO for that.