When it comes to the Russian/Ukraine dust up consider this:

In the competition with Putin, the West’s inability to see his motives through his eyes is leading to one error after another. John Kerry throws a temper tantrum thinking it will have the same effect it has when he does not get seated on time at the club. Instead Putin sees a weak, feckless man who is no threat to him. In Obama, he probably sees a guileless provincial surrounded by equally inept courtiers. The fact that Obama and his people cannot imagine that being the case means we have informational disequilibrium.

Short sighted people being one upped by a leader with an actual plan, not just reactionary politics. Got to hand it to Putin, he knows what he is doing. Short term loss with the vision of long term gain using Russian “love of country” as an his mantra.

In foreign policy, this new morality is at the heart of our troubles with Russia. Putin and his coevals running Russia reject the materialism of the West, despite living like medieval royalty. They look at the Crimea as a part of their cultural history and a part of their patrimony. It is a part of what they hope will be their shadow, in which future generations will stand. That changes their cost benefit analysis. Russia is willing to lose a lot to get what to Western minds has limited value. The West wants Ukraine in the Euro so their bankers can loot what little remains in Ukraine. Russia wants it in their orbit because it defines who they are as Russians. more here