One of the big payoffs from the much touted (yet deeply underwhelming) “reset” of relations with Moscow was sustainment of the northern distribution network, a logistical lifeline to Afghanistan which cuts a hot path through several former Soviet republics. This was to be step one in a larger warming trend with Russia, successfully clearing the air between Moscow and Washington after the Georgian War of 2008.

Unfortunately, Obama’s grand diplomatic coup has proven long on rhetoric, short on action. An agreement that was intended to spin the relief valve on the principle Afghanistan-Pakistan supply route –by supporting 12 military airlift flights a day through Russian airspace–has fallen flat: