Russia and Ukraine

[Sheldon]

I forgot to add another point about the comparison between what happened now and in Munich in 1938:

In Russia, Gorbachev is considered to be a Chamberlain-like figure, who naively accepted false promises in exchange for "peace in our time." 

Ah, you have surveyed what people think "in Russia", I shouldn't be surprised really, given you earlier asserted to know what "most people in the world" thought. 

He was promised that in exchange for the peaceful reunification of Germany, NATO would never expand even one inch to the east. This was promised by Helmut Kohl, James Baker, and Robert Gates. 

However, as soon as the next President got into office the promise was broken. 

So the Russians have learned that the US doesn't keep its promises.

Putin will want to tell Trump to fuck right off then, I imagine. 

Though of course NATO didn't invade anyone, or use armed force to pursue a war of conquest of sovereign states, in the way Putin is doing to the Ukraine. Sovereign nations are free to form legal alliances as they please, or have I missed something?