It’s almost as if NATO is goading Russia

What’s the action and what’s the reaction?

Russia has placed troops on its eastern border, ostensibly this is preparation for an invasion on Ukraine. Yet Russia denies that and, of course, any country has a right to put its soldiers anywhere it wants in its borders.

In response to this, now NATO secretary-general Jens Stotltenberg — who will soon become Norway’s central bank chief — is proposing to put more troops on NATO’s eastern border.

“We are considering more longer-term adjustments to our posture, presence, in the easter part of the alliance. No final decision has been made on that but there is a process now going on within NATO,” he told reporters.

Other reports today suggest a deployment to Lithuania.

Of course, that’s NATO’s right as well.

But from the Russia perspective, is that offensive or defensive?

This is the kind of thing that’s played out countless times in history with accidental conflict some times the result. Russia went into this asking for a smaller NATO presence in eastern Europe and instead NATO is responding with a larger presence. So instead of accomplishing something, it now stands to lose.

How doesn’t that look like provocation to Putin?