I don't think the USA would tolerate political interference in Canada such as those perpetrated by the West in the Ukraine.

Putin has them snookered. If the West get too cocky both Russia and China can implode the US $ by selling off their interests in equity markets and bonds.This is where the West may consider a nuke exchange to suppress disention at home and steal more energy/resources.

When all else fails the oligarchs go to war.

Tom Clifford wrote..."and Europe, unable to respond coherently to Russia's aggression, presents a golden opportunity for Moscow to rattle its sabers."

Careful there...Europe has a notorious history of while playing one tune of peace and civilized world we seek song, on the other it act in absolute tyrannical control of others via acts of war through the messy side of a gun barrel or monetary strangulation...

Its all about 'win' and 'talk' only exists if it leads to same end result as winning at war...but this is Russia! not Libya, Iraq or Afghanistan...so nuclear retaliation is real and current...yep, they must be crazy to start self-and-all annihilation...but when theres nothing to loose and final result is Russia in the 'image' ow western Europe...somebody just might push that button...or just as worse create a separate economic block that can provide all products and services needed in our current world that does away with Europe\Us\Un etc and usdollar standard in every form and manner...

Just accept the fact that Crimea is Russian's in Ukraine territory whom want to go back to Russian governance...nothing wrong here...we all should support this before we risk another genocidal tribal act by Ukrainians againt Russians in Ukraine while under the protective cover of Nato and American war planes over Ukraine...
sam

The thing that makes Russia even more difficult to handle for the West is that most of the world agrees with Putin's respect for traditional family values and most view Western political correctness as unintelligible.

What are you on about Progressive Pat?
Putin and 'family values'?
You must be joking?

The rest of the world recognizes Putin for what he is...a tyrannical dictator!

Where is his family values when he detains/jails people for daring to speak out against the state?
What of the 'Pussy Riot' women who were detained without trial for so long....merely for singing anti-government songs in a church for goodness sake?
How do their families feel about Putin's 'family values'?

Many Russians apparently just disappear after they dare to speak out against Putin's government. The phrase 'sent to the Russian Front' is still alive and well in Russia.
Yep, real family man...

The reason the world is in debt to Putin is that he alone, of all the word's leaders over the last 15 years or so, has offered a check on the random but always self-serving projection of US power.
I say good on him and well done. Now it's up to the US and the EU to deal with him. I suggest he will deal. What he won't do is be pushed around like some failed-state puppet.

The rumours that Putin has invaded Ukraine is incorrect.

The Crimean Parliament has declared independence from the rest of the Ukraine, and a few patriotically minded individuals have simply crossed the border with some hunting equipment (guns camo and armoured vehicles) to lend support to their fellow Russians.

Putin was surprised, but given the strength of feeling, welcomed the Crimean his countrymen back to Mother Russia.