Shouldn't we cut Russia some slack?

Both presidential candidates have spoken about taking action against Russia for their activities in Georgia. My opinion is that we should work out a compromise.

Consider for a moment how things must look from the Russian point of view. The major political event of the second half of the 20th century was the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Referring to this in terms of the Soviet Union diminishes the historical significance of what happened, which with only slight exaggeration can be referred to as the end of the Russian Empire. There are territories that the Russians lost control of that they had held since the time of Peter the Great.

Now areas formerly controlled by Russia are parts of NATO and are part of the missile defense system, some of which must be directed against the Russians.

Unless climate change makes it considerably more habitable, the chances of Russia becoming a major influence in the near future do not seem very likely. Between an emerging China in the East and NATO in the West, the Russians do not have much wiggle room. The Russian economy has shown improvement over the few years, but only by them selling oil and natural gas.

Here is what I think we should do. Let the Russsians annex Osetia. It is not worth going to war over. Establish Georgia and the Ukraine as buffer zones, meaning the Russians keep out and Georgia and Ukraine are not incorporated into NATO. Have the Russians promise to put more pressure on Iran to prevent, or at least slow down, their march toward becoming a nuclear power.

So what do you think?