> If Russia really wanted the US to stop bombing, couldn't they have
> threatened to default?
Well, the kicker is that they owe most of their loans to EU banks. And the EU is the only superpower in town which has ponied up funds for the CIS (mostly, through Germany). It's one of those the-enemy-of-my- formerly-metropolitan-rival-is-my-Europeripheral-friend kind of deals. It seems to be working, too; Deutsche Bank wrote off lots of loans, and the IMF is forking out some cash for the Russians.
-- Dennis