To say we are optionless is demonstrably untrue as we are using our military to confront Russia with a tripwire. Maybe NATO can't summon 300,000 troops and a trillion dollars to fight but Russia has been asked to consider how much it does want to risk a de facto war with the US/EU/NATO with our flights and navy rubbing up close to them. US rhetoric is far from capitulatory and only getting stronger if not downright undiplomatic.
As well it should...
Moral highground notwithstanding US security is pretty much guaranteed in the modern world, or only perceivable threats coming from latent powers that must first expand in order to be able to challenge us. Well, if they must first expand we do ourselves the favor of preventing those expansions.
Not to mention the fact that peaceable, consensual governments OUGHT to be defended as a matter of principle.
To say the EU and NATO would remain idle when prominent members such as Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and others not only fear Russia but have been threatened directly or otherwise ignores reality. They are vital members of their respective bodies and their concerns cannot be dismissed under pretenses of impotence real or imagined. No amount of appeasement, real-politicking or gutless isolationism is going to convince them to accept Russian tanks int heir streets ever again without a fight.
How about Turkey? Are they eager to see would-be imperialists on their border, threatening the Bosphorus and Dardenelles while pissing-off the organizations Turkey is or wishes to be a part of?
Oil can be bought elsewhere as--if not more--easily as it can be sold elsewhere. If the Reds wanna sell to the ChiComs may Allah bless their efforts to cut money out from under the little sheet-heads south of them. I hope they enjoy sailing tankers to the far side of the planet or piping it across the asian continent with all the logistical and security concerns that entails.
Furthermore, Russian efforts to draw legal/moral comparisons to the invasion of Iraq and the dismemberment of Serbia while pretending of Ahzerbijian and Chechnya never happened is laughable.
its alot more complicated then that.
It's only the dismissive contrarianisms that are simplistic.
This is more of Putin's saber-rattling, like his recent habit of sending his ancient "Bear" flights near US Naval assets. I think we should splash a couple, and that crap would stop. Embarass the hell out of them with the world watching....
I dunno about splashing but we can send a message without acts of war but it does seem those flights can no longer be simply dismissed as sleeping with one eye open.