I am, emphatically, not a supporter of Putin or his policies, BUT if you look at the world from the vantage point of Russia, NATO expansion looks like a profound threat. Please consider the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and recall how freaked out the US got at the very prospect of the Soviet Union putting a few missiles in Cuba. We nearly wound up with World War III. How would we react now if the Russians (or the Chinese) had their armed forces and surrogates placed throughout Canada and Latin America?
Regarding your statement "(I'm pretty sure the root cause of the conflict is that Putin invaded a free country.)" the history goes back WAY before the 2022 invasion. During the first Bush administration, as the Soviet Union's metamorphosis into what is now known as Russia was occurring, US Secretary of State James Baker assured the Russians that there would be no eastward expansion of NATO. Which is exactly what has taken place since then. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlargement_of_NATO?useskin=vector and https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/19/two-maps-show-natos-growth-and-russias-growing-isolation-since-1990.html.
I am, emphatically, not a supporter of Putin or his policies, BUT if you look at the world from the vantage point of Russia, NATO expansion looks like a profound threat. Please consider the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and recall how freaked out the US got at the very prospect of the Soviet Union putting a few missiles in Cuba. We nearly wound up with World War III. How would we react now if the Russians (or the Chinese) had their armed forces and surrogates placed throughout Canada and Latin America?
A little perspective, please!
As a fellow Californian, I would be delighted to join Denmark. I’ve long said I’d like to pay higher taxes for a more effective government.