Since the first Cold War ended, when has Russia annexed a country? If your only example is Crimea, I don't think a U.S.-funded neo-fascist coup in which a rump legislature declared the elected Ukrainian government fugitives quite counts as 'an excuse.' Anyone whose eyes were open for what happened in Ukraine will not've been surprised Russia acted.
Since you say you're sure the Russian president is just biding his time before snatching up Balkan countries, I assume you have examples in modern history in which Russia was the aggressor nation in takeover after takeover. You know, like the U.S.
You know how much I sympathize with the American attitude of assuming that anyone who's not a vassal is an enemy. But Putin is not an idiot. NATO has become a heavy weight being held by a very thin cord. I don't even think it's about taking over other countries as much as it is getting rid of threats next to the border, as kxh mentioned.
Since the first Cold War ended, when has Russia annexed a country? If your only example is Crimea, I don't think a U.S.-funded neo-fascist coup in which a rump legislature declared the elected Ukrainian government fugitives quite counts as 'an excuse.' Anyone whose eyes were open for what happened in Ukraine will not've been surprised Russia acted.
Since you say you're sure the Russian president is just biding his time before snatching up Balkan countries, I assume you have examples in modern history in which Russia was the aggressor nation in takeover after takeover. You know, like the U.S.
You know how much I sympathize with the American attitude of assuming that anyone who's not a vassal is an enemy. But Putin is not an idiot. NATO has become a heavy weight being held by a very thin cord. I don't even think it's about taking over other countries as much as it is getting rid of threats next to the border, as kxh mentioned.
Guess which country's military budget is fourteen plus times the other's. Hint: it's the one waging eight wars right now.
Hey, no argument there!