New Russian president Dmitri A Medvedev outlined what will become his foreign policy in a speech on Russian television. He said that Russia will assert a "sphere of influence," which will come as no surprise to those in Georgia. The Russians have already demonstrated what they plan to do. South Ossetia, one of the breakaway regions in Georgia, has expressed its desire to be absorbed back into Russia.
If I am in Warsaw, Bucharest, Prague, Bratislava, Kiev, Riga, Vilnius, or anywhere else that enjoyed the last attempt by Russia to exert its sphere of influence, I am making every effort to make sure they don't decide to really execute that policy. In some cases, they are running to the United States for assistance (although the agreement with Poland is ostensibly for attacks by "rogue nations").
Maybe it's because I can still remember the end of the Cold War, but when Russia starts talking about its sphere of influence, I have an inclination to not trust them to play nice with neighboring countries, especially those who once were under the Soviet umbrella.
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