.. Declining Russia has become a mantra of the US and western democracties, which unfortunately traps Joseph Nye as a bartitone in the usual chorus line. He does, however, make the point that the end goal of isolating Russian completely should not be a goal. On which ears will such advice fall, particularly when Russia bashing is in fashion in Washington and Brussels?



It is regrettable that Washington first and foremost response to anything Russian is to trot out a "schoolmarmish foreign policy" to berate the former and put it in a corner with the usual insults for having been naughty. No a word from Nye mentions Washington's meddling in Ukraine to actively support the overthrow of its elected government, which directly stirred unease in the East and South East parts of the country. Somehow Russiaa, a regional power, should sit down and watch that mess unfolds on its borders and to allow the prize of the Black Sea port being seized by the US and NATO. Putin and whoever else at the helm of the Kremlin would have been derelict in doing nothing.



Unfortunately, to see western reliance on the regime in Kiev looks so unsound' its troops could not even defeat the rebels, but they did show how to main and kill the civilian population and wreak devastation on the infrastructure. How can the rebel regions remain part of a continguous Ukraine after such a tragedy that could have been avoided had cooler heads prevailed?



This development should have sent a clear signal to those meeting at this week's NATO powwow in Wales that what is needed is a more robust plan, nuanced enough to get its message sternly across to the Kremlin, but, at the same time, show some measured understanding of the latter's concern. Instead, these Heads of States behaved like arms dealers, which, according to their nature is to ramp up defence spending. Their's is further isolation of Russia, creation of spareheads for rapid deployment accompanied by threats and bluster, all stuffed into a package for delivery to the Kremlin.



Just as the Vietnam war was financially calamitous for the US, threatned its position as a global power, and forced Nixon to abandon the gold standard, Ukraine is but another war -- after Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya. Right now, it may look like a western piès de résistance, but may turn out to be the achilles heel that plays right into Russia's hand. It should not be lost on anyone that Russia and the BRICS are already opting out of the Petrodollar System on which Washington depends to fund its fiat currency. The Fed's round-the-clock running of the printing press of trillions of dollars to prop up Washington's influence in world trade is a Ponzi scheme that will have its day of reckoning and global consequences. Russia knows it and the NATO isolation message could not have been more helpful in prosecuting their asymmetrical effort to weaken the US. Against conventional wisdom, the EU, which is still in an economic crisis is busy imposing economic sanctions against the Kremlin at Washington's behest. Clearly, the EU is, wittingly or unwittingly, facilitating the demise of the Euro, which would remove a challenge to the Fed's printing press continuing to prop up its Ponzi scheme.



Finally, Russia and Ukraine have been neighbours who have lived, loved and fought with and against each other for thousands of years. It's simply schoolmarmish of young Washington to be giving them lessons on good neighborliness. Let's hope cooler heads prevail!