I don't see any options for the west. There's no way any NATO power is going to get into a shooting war over Crimea because they know the Russians won't give it up ever. They will fight to keep it in their control no matter what.
The west needs to figure out how to stabilize the rest of Ukraine as soon as possible and keep a pro EU government in control before the whole thing collapses under Russian pressure.
Why is Crimea such a big deal for the Russians? It is not the only place they can access the black sea. They have a huge coastline on the Sea. If they were to lose the port, couldn't they just move their fleet off the coast of Sochi? Put all the sailors in those new athlete housing blocks and everyone would be having a grand old time. Obviously, i'm kidding, but why couldn't they base their fleet at Novorossiysk?
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