Defense One : “The United States and Russia have both crossed a Rubicon in the Ukraine crisis, and Washington must now confront the likelihood that if the standoff continues, it will dramatically alter relations on a much larger map than Eastern Europe, inviting Russian recalcitrance in crisis zones as far afield as East Asia, Iran, Syria, and Afghanistan.”  

“While hitting Moscow with sanctions that a senior administration official described Monday as ‘by far’ the most severe since the Cold War, it is clear the White House is aware of the perils. Senior officials stressed that President Obama was determined to leave the way open to Russian President Vladimir Putin to back down from annexing Crimea following Sunday’s referendum, in which 97 percent of voters approved secession from Ukraine.”