US should rethink its policy toward Russia's neighbors

RE: "GRAPPLING with an emboldened Russia" (op ed, Aug. 12): Timothy Snyder's column rightly argues for a reassessment of US foreign policy in light of an oil-rich, resurgent Russia. But how should we deal with Georgia and other former Soviet satellites?

Morally and strategically, these countries cannot be abandoned. Yet, voices calling for the rapid ascension of Georgia and Ukraine into NATO, intelligence sharing, and joint military exercises fail to appreciate the reaction from Russia such a policy shift would engender.

Rather than further exacerbate US-Russian relations by rushing to aid Georgia, we should slow down the process of extending NATO membership and use the UN and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to establish a shared sphere of influence with Russia in the region.

LAWRENCE MARKOWITZ
Oberlin, Ohio
The writer teaches international relations and post-Soviet politics at Oberlin College.