Ukraine (closed; covers till August 2014)

[Dayuhan]

But there are also other implications. First, it's clear that Washington's power relative to that of other states, specifically Russia, is waning.

The talk of waning US power misses, I think, an important point. The great powers of today, going back to the start of the nuclear age, prefer to avoid direct confrontation, for obvious reasons. That's why the Cold War was fought by proxy. When one great power sets up to intervene, the rival great powers can be counted on to denounce, oppose, issue vague threats, possibly throw in a symbolic act or two (boycotting Olympics or Summits), but they don't directly confront. It's easier and safer to sit back, watch, and hope the other guy steps in a mess and opens an opportunity for some proxy action. Given the complexities and nature of intervention, that very often happens.

This is less "waning US power" than business as usual: it's the way these things have been played out for the last 50+ years. It's the way the Russians and Chinese have responded to US intervention, and the way the US has responded to Russian and Chinese intervention. It's not a new development.