Western leaders seem to think that they can just keep provoking the Russians over and over again without any consequences.  It was pretty obvious that western hands were behind the recent riots in Kazakhstan, and now the head of NATO has come out and publicly said that a decision has already been made to make Ukraine and Georgia members of NATO.  He was referring to a decision that was made many years ago, but publicly reaffirming that decision in this exceedingly tense environment is extremely counterproductive if the goal is peace.  The Russians have repeatedly warned that adding Ukraine to NATO is a red line that must never be crossed.  And unlike many western leaders, Russian officials tend to be deadly serious about their "red lines".

Unfortunately, it appears that time for making peace may be coming to an end.  On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the press that Russia has "run out of patience" with the games that western leaders are playing, and he wants some straight answers within a week…