[SLB]

Obviously you enjoy the prospect of Americans once again having to be concerned about our fighting men and women having to face the Russians by proxy. They should have learned their lesson in the 1950's, 60's, 70's and 80's. But now the American public does not have the stomach to face them down like we did then. I fear this will have an outcome that Americans will not like.

[Freelance Warrior]

But now the American public does not have the stomach to face them down like we did then

I think you underestimate fellow Americans. Just give them something to face.

[Constantine XI Palaeologus]

I don’t enjoy anything that places our servicemen and women at risk in the least. However, I don’t think that what Russia’s doing constitutes some sort of threat at all. Nor do I see any proxy wars ala, Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan being waged because the Russians have simply resumed patrols because they now find themselves capable of doing so again. If what Russia’s doing constitutes saber-waving, what does the U.S. and NATO’s growing presence on Russia’s borders constitute? What do our forces in Japan represent to the Russians? Remember how we were during the Cuban Missile Crisis?

I most certainly am not a member of the blame America crowd, but if you look at it objectively, I don’t see the Russians playing a game of brinkmanship, at least not with the U.S.

In part, I see them trying to drum up a sense of pride in their country; something that suffered a sharp blow with their changing fortunes in the early 90s. I see nothing wrong with that.