Not a Safe Route

You put it right Glenno.

It seems that the West, hypocritically, use ideas like 'territorial integrity', and 'sovereignty' only when it suits them and their self interest. The West (US) has been throwing its weight around unchallenged for the past 20 years or so...this self-serving seeking of worldwide US hegemony under the guise of spreading democracy, has inflamed tensions and has created more instability.

From my perspective, I don't understand why the US has to meddle everywhere. As relationships with Russia have warmed over the past 20 years, US policy has been to continue to treat them as military enemies and encircle them, well it seems that Russia has been cornered and is now ready to fight, because it sees it has little alternative.

If Europe truly wants to live in peace with Russia, it needs to divorce itself from US policies, and establish independence in it's foreign policy. Europe should welcome Russia as a friend, and reject the warmongering coming from the US, and disband NATO, which has served its purpose.

Russia is more in need of the oil revenue for its sustanance and Europe is a ready market. Thus the Russian oil issue is more in the favour of the EU and US. Therefore Russia is not in a strong bargaining position with the US and EU. The US and EU are in the upper hand. Russia is infact alone in its action and further adventures.

However, the first thing Russia can do is to set an example to the Balkan states like what has happened in Georgia; we will strike you hard if you are fighting as proxies to the US and EU. This will make other small states think twice before agreeing to be puppets of the US. Poland is another possible target for the obvious reasons.

Next, Russia can hold these small countries as hostages that will force the US and EU to pull back. These states are too dependent on the US and EU because they have been made so. The next thing is for Russia to impose oil quotas to Europe designed to affect on the less properous EU states; they will then ensure that the more prosperous nations will retrack back. Russia must then ensure that it will never be the first to strike; its shall only retaliate upon actions by the US and EU. In doing so Russia will be at fault as the one who started the war first. The US has no valid reason to strike.

There is an interesting suggestion from Steve Levine. The Russians have a big weakness. The West should keep in mind Russia's Achilles Heel while dealing with Putin and Medvedev. Levine knows this area, having covered wars in Chechnya, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Tajikistan as well as the Soviet-Afghan war: http://oilandglory.com/2008/08/russias-achilles-heel.html