rgmarker

1. The Baltics joined NATO when Russia was still in disarray and aren't as important strategically. Russia tried to join NATO itself after that but was rebuffed.

2. This was primarily for domestic consumption and the West picked it up in February/March together with the notion that Putin had gone mad. Hardly anyone talks about either of these theories any longer.

Suppose the following reversed situation:

- There is still a Warsaw Pact.

- An Orange Revolution happens in Canada in 2014, backed by KGB neocon equivalents of Nuland/Graham.

- A Russia friendly regime is installed in Canada in 2014.

- Canada has regions with large U.S. populations.

- Canada keeps pushing for Warsaw Pact membership.

- At a security conference in Munich in 2022, Canada's Russia friendly prime minister mentions that he could acquire nuclear weapons.

Would you say that the U.S. would likely invade according to the Monroe doctrine? Or would you say that Canada has the right of agency?

None of this is excusing Russia, but disregarding these issues leads to escalation. I'm astonished that the NATO hardliners apparently think that their policies have been a success (they are of course a success if the goal was a proxy war that tests the strength of Russia's military in the first place).