Double Standards

Critics of Russia say that no state is entitled to neutral buffer states surrounding it.

Any country that wants it (...and is offered...) NATO membership should be able to choose it, goes this line of reasoning.  It's not for Russia to decide.

But of course this is precisely what the USA demands around itself.  In fact, it seems, the USA demands buffer states all around the world.  But specifically south of the USA, in the well known Monroe Doctrine.

Now, anyone can say, "Well, I don't approve of the Monroe Doctrine.  I don't approve of it for the USA, and I don't approve of it for Russia."

But, you see, this idealist person doesn't actually make these decisions.  Even if some politician were to claim to oppose the Monroe Doctrine, the Deep State would never let it be implemented.

 It's simply unimaginable that the USA would permit Mexico to join a foreign military alliance, say, with Russia.  There would be covert material threats, covert ops, wars, whatever (this is the history ever since the Monroe Doctrine was enunciated), but it would not happen.

So, anyway, it's fine and good for people to say they oppose these things.  But if the USA is going to do it no matter what these people say, then it's Double Standards to demand it of Russia or anyone else, regardless of what any idealist in the USA says.

The correct thing for this blowhard idealist to do would be to disassemble all US imperialism, including the Monroe Doctrine, in practice and law.  (No CIA, NED, external bases, wars, etc.)

Then, he could honestly begin demanding such from other countries without insisting on Double Standards.

It's not what the idealist prefers, it's what his country actually does that counts.

A friend who recently settled in Israel is exclaiming "Putin must not be rewarded for this!  He should gain nothing!" without noticing the irony that Israel itself was created through illegal violence in 1948 and then greatly expanded in 1967, certainly against the wishes of nearly everyone already there.  And this acquisition by Israel has been secured with endless illegal violence ever since.  And yet, every single US politician exclaims how important Israel is to the USA, and must be supported with billions for weapons every year, and full diplomatic support.  Recently, you dared not criticize Israel to keep your job or contract.  Free World indeed.

Crimea and eastern Ukraine had been part of Russia for two hundred years or more until the combination of endless US wars and meddling (including "Democracy Promotion") combined with the foolishness of Russian leaders Lenin and Gorbachev led to it falling away first in 1991.  Russian people, rightly or wrongly, see this as the "heart of Russia."  (In truth, nobody is actually entitled to anything.  But that means that NO country has a right to claim anything either that it has, or doesn't yet have.)  But Ukraine was maintained as a mostly-client-state-of-Russia in an arrangement that might have worked except for endless US support of internal revolution, which ultimately reached $5 Billion.

This matters a lot to Russians, and not very much to anyone else except a world hegemon who wants to see Russia cut down several notches in rank.  The Council on Foreign Relations published opinion years ago saying the Ukraine should just let the Donbass go to Russia, it always voted the wrong way anyway, leading to Presidents like Yanoukovich.  Many western Ukranians might feel about the same way, the larger fraction that doesn't actually want to ethnically cleanse the Russians out.  Many eastern Ukrainians would likely be equally or more happy under Russia than NATO/Ukraine.  After seeing the marvelous dysfunction of a western client state "Democracy" for 8 years in particular.

Russia was drawing red lines about US activities to flip Ukraine going back to at least 2007.  Western leaders KNEW this would drive Russia to war, but they refused to stop assimilating Ukraine.

Finally, ongoing and increasing attacks to seize Donbass began.  The trap was set, and Putin's hand was forced.