What do all have in common? The US wants Russia to join the West, it also wants increased Russian and "stan" oil and gas production. The "stans" want to protect their southern flank; the Russians want to protect their interests in the "stans"; India wants US help to eliminate the Kashmiri rebels; Musharraf needs US help as he goes about the elimination of the Islamist element in the Pakistan military and tries to reduce the power of the Islamists and their schools.
If only the world were a simple place, as Buchanan would like it to be. If only we could stay out of Asia, as Buchanan would want us to. No such luck. Pat should remember the old maxim that works as well for geopolitics as it does for boxing: "you can run, but you can't hide."