It's an interesting article, but I think it's presumptuous to think that Russia is acting the way it is because the US established a precedent. The reason for this conflict is very simple and basic: oil. NATO's courting of Georgia was far more than just a strategic threat. It was a very direct threat to Russia's economic interests, as it was an attempt to secure access to the oil wells and ports on the Black Sea and the pipeline running through Georgia. Russia acted in the manner it did because it would gain it control of these resources and because it knew it could get away with it. I find it very ironic (and journalistically negligent) that Salon of all sites didn't point this out.