Was it an unrealistic offer to include Georgia and Ukraine in NATO?

Question

Afterall, what did people think Putin was going to do, sit around with a thumb up his butt while traditional Russian provinces joined a US-European alliance?

FYI: Stalin was from Georgia.

Answer 1

its never unrealistic to OFFER anything

Answer 2

No.

I wasn't aware that our policy should be determined by what Colonel Putin likes and dislikes.  If that's the case, we should immediately remove butter pecan ice cream from all stores because I heard he doesn't like that, and may use it as an excuse to invade Vermont.

Answer 3

I guess you have to ask the question whether we should go to war with Russia over something like what is occuring now.  That is what we would be obliged to do if they were a member of NATO.  Of course on the other hand maybe Russia would have at least pulled up at the border of the separatist provinces if the y were.

Answer 4

1)  Neither Georgia or Ukraine are members of NATO

2)  Putin seems to be reviving this atmosphere of Cold War, not the west.

Russia has been giving ultimatums for every little thing it doesn't like or does not go its way since Putin took office. But to answer your question again..  neither Ukraine nor Georgia are members of NATO.

Answer 5

I think it was bad diplomacy.  Extending NATO, the west's cold war defense pact, into Russia's back yard was bound to aggravate US-Russian relations.  It's no wonder we're slipping into a new cold war.

A better strategy IMHO would've been to declare NATO no longer necessary following the fall of the Berlin Wall.  Then form a new defensive pact offering to include Russia and any other nation in the region that wants in on it.  Yes it might've been functionally identical to NATO, but at least it wouldn't have the leftover baggage of NATO/Warsaw Pact antagonism.