Liz Saville Roberts: “Charles Krauthammer points out in the article--and I will read a little of it--that, basically, what the Russians…”

“Charles Krauthammer points out in the article--and I will read a little of it--that, basically, what the Russians thought was the path from Kosovo to Putin is not that difficult to trace. It goes through Chechnya. Americans may not see the connection, but the Russians do. The Russians have been operating under the assumption that to be a good international citizen, they could not engage in the unilateral use of force without the general approval of the international community. Well, Kosovo certainly cured them of that illusion. Finally, Russia acquiesced in the expansion of NATO under the expectation and assurance that it would remain always a defensive alliance. I am not arguing the pros and cons of that, but simply the reaction in Russia. Russians were doubly humiliated because the Balkans had long been in their sphere of influence, with Serbia as their traditional ally. The result was an intense anti-American, anti-NATO feeling engendered in Russia, and NATO expansion had really agitated the Russian elites, and Kosovo inflamed the Russian public. So Kosovo created what has been called a national security consensus. The demand for a strong leader to do what it takes to restore Russia's standing and status made the confrontation with the United States a badge of honor.”