Like a lot of folks, I’m not quite sure how far America should go in organizing a wide-ranging response to Russia’s invasion of Georgia, given the risk to our credibility of promising more than can be realistically deliver. But it’s hard not to be moved by the defiant response of Poland, the Baltics, and other former Soviet conquests, as described in this Monitor dispatch:

From Poland to Ukraine, the Czech Republic to Bulgaria, Russia’s invasion of Georgia with tanks, troops, and planes is described as a test of Western resolve. The former Soviet states are vowing to thwart Russian aims – in deals with the European Union, in a missile-defense pact with the US, and in trade and diplomacy. Polish and Baltic officials, most of whom grew up under Soviet occupation, have long chafed at being described in Western Europe as too “Russia-phobic” in their oft-repeated warnings about Moscow’s intentions. But now in this gritty capital, the refrain is, “We told you so.”

By all means debate the diplomatic details, but there should be no doubt on whose side America and the West must stand.