As for the situation in Crimea itself: while the 1994 Budapest Memorandum does not require that the United States enter into this current conflict, as it is not a formal treaty, it does make the situation for the Obama administration a great deal more complicated than, say, the 2008 situation in Georgia. The Ukrainian situation has a nuclear subtext which matters in the broader context: because Ukraine had to surrender its nuclear arsenal as part of the 1994 agreement, U.S. inaction now sends a signal that nations ought to maintain their nuclear arsenal as opposed to trusting the Americans to defend their legitimacy.
Problematical.
Moe Lane
PS: Elections have consequences.
The other message — US assurances of your security are meaningless if it might be inconvenient for the president. Bet that’s making Japan, Taiwan, and Israel make some decisions…
Japan, at least, has already been making those decisions.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the others have as well, with less publicity.
Ending the cold war was an incredible feat. History will show that reinstating it was much easier.