Though many within President Barack Obama's administration support a policy of tension with Russia and believe a new Cold War can secure budgets and promote their relevance, the Ukrainians actually fighting on behalf of the post-coup government in Kiev are a less-than reputable sort. In fact, many are outright neo-Nazis or neo-Nazi sympathizers who see their fight as part of a larger struggle for racial purity in Ukraine.

Though many of those neo-fascist fighters in Ukraine hearken back to popular figures in Ukrainian history who allied with the Nazis, few Americans and even fewer American policymakers typically cast a fond gaze at the ideology or history of the Third Reich.

Thus, the dilemma: give up support for the neo-fascist militias and be seen as weak in standing up to Russia or support the militias and be seen as getting into bed with murderous neo-Nazis.

Not surprisingly, the first course of action for policymakers was to support the militias and hope no one noticed. This did not go well, as the Associated Press and other media outlets noticed that one of the groups being trained by the U.S. military was the Azov Battalion, which actually uses an emblem from Nazi Germany.