This was a response to a question asking why Russia has any influence over Ukraine's alliance choices. The US exerts similar influence over the foreign policy of its neighbors, as does China, which is right now aggressively pushing on Taiwan for this reason. It is the reality of larger powers interacting with smaller ones. No one said the current situation in Canada or Mexico is the exact same. Nor did I say any of this justifies Russia's choices. But IF, say Mexico, started to flirt with an oppositional alliance, this would be countered, with war as a last resort if the other strategies failed. This has been done several times before in US history (eg in Cuba, we backed a local revolt against Spain to take control of the island and other Spanish possessions. In the 1960s we again threatened nuclear war against the Soviets for expansion there and embargoed the country for half a century). And the fact you are so dismissive of US action in Mexico is a big blind spot. The cartels in Mexico control significant territory adjacent to the US. US federal agencies have been deeply intertwined with the Mexican government's efforts to curtail the cartels, but these have failed. Special forces already operate there. The likelihood of direct US action is not high right now but is certainly plausible within 20 years, especially if the cartels make further inroads within the offical government. US congressmen have just this year proposed legislation allowing "military capabilities" against the cartels. The world is different, but some things don't change, and more powerful countries dictating some of the policy of their less powerful neighbours is one of them.