Russia's War Against Ukraine
Aaron David Miller: The naiveté of distance
Pro-russian people gather at central Simferopol's Lenin Square on March 15, 2014. Ukraine's flashpoint Crimea peninsula prepares for today's referendum on joining Kremlin rule amid intense international pressure on Moscow not to annex the region and open negotiations with the new pro-EU leaders in Kiev that could resolve the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War. AFP PHOTO/ FILIPPO MONTEFORTE
The Ukraine crisis has made it clear that there are some crucial facts about world history and geography that Americans don't really understand. As the world digests Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggressive moves and ponders future ones by Russia or other smaller powers, here are a few things about these two profoundly important forces -- or more specifically, the U.S. relationship to them -- that Americans need to keep in mind. Grasping them is, in a word, critical.
