First, America clearly was involved in the Ukrainian unrest, which confuses me and makes me think that our CIA and Administration aren't as lost as they seem. However, yes - there is plenty the Americans could have done, had they started weeks ago, to prevent this from happening. Strengthening the relationships between the Ukraine and other nations that border Russia would have been one step -- increasing their resolve to work together to prevent Russian intervention would have been a great move. Conversely, that most likely would increase their resolve to oppose American intervention as well. You and I would be fine with that, but I doubt American corporations and politicians would appreciate it.
Of course, none of us here are close enough to the situation to know the motivations of all people involved. Without that knowledge, it's really, really, difficult to postulate what could have been done to convince the right people to want the same things that we want. Obama, however, has had that knowledge at his fingertips. If he failed to use it, and the Russians took advantage of it, it is completely inexcusable.
