Analogies and comparisons always limp-there is never perfect congruence between two policies or events that are compared. The Monroe Doctrine closed the Western Hemisphere to further European colonization and also forbade the importation of European Political systems. Later TR expnaded the MD to give theU.S. the right to punish "chronic wrongdoers" in Latin America. This led to gunaboat and banana boat diplomacy during the 1920;s TR prevented Colombia from putting down a revolt in Panama in order to facilitate the digging of the Panama Canal. Wilson sent General Pershing and the army into Mexico to chase Pancho Villa and also overthow Victoriano Huerta. The presence of Soviet miltary, technicians and ballistic missiles in Cuba led to the missilecrisis in which the U.S. and the Soviet Union where a blink away from nuclear war.

Imperial Russia was invaded by Napoleon and the Soviet Union by an Allied and Czech force after WWI and by Hitler in 1941. Russia has lost the former Soviet sattelites in Eastern Europe as well as Estonia, Latvia and the Ukraine. Russia now sees NATO as encroaching on its very borders and the West trying to impose its political an economic systems on its very borders. Perhaps Georgia may be compared to Cuba but with one difference-it has an oil pipeline and not sugar planatations. The U.S. and Poland call the proposed missile system they want to build "defensive."

The Monroe Doctrine fenced off the Western Hemisphere from European powers; it is not surprising that Putin and Russia are concerend about Georgia, Ukraine ,Latvia, Lithuania and Belarus. Shouldn't Putin feel threatened by the advance of NATO and what he views as an attempt to deprive Russia of its position as a world power? If America felt threatened by the advance of European powers in the Western Hemisphere, is it surprising that Russia should feel threatened by the advance of NATO and American influence.?

The U.S. has all it can handle in dealing with Iran, Afghanistan and al Queda..If Russia becomes more belligerent and moves into other areas, don't hold your breath waiting for NATO to do anything or for the U.S. to react with military intervention.