And Nuclear Weapons?

After Saturday's meeting of the NATO military committee in Prague, Czech Republic, its chairman, Admiral Rob Bauer of the Netherlands, pointed out in a press briefing that Ukraine has the right to extend its military activities as far into Russia as it deems fit. This seemed to be the attitude of most of the military figures in attendance. 

That concept certainly seems logical on its face and has been an accepted one internationally for many generations. The entire Ukraine/Russia confrontation being limited to the disputed Donets Basin is very strange. 

But what would its extension mean, ultimately? Russia could probably destroy much of Ukraine in short order if those in charge wished. NATO would then be required to respond. As everyone knows, at some point a line may need to be crossed that will put nuclear weapons into play. The population of the US will be put at risk in addition to those of Europe. That risk could mean death and destruction at a level unprecedented in world history, The very existence of nuclear arsenals is meant, according to Herman Kahn, to prevent their use. Their employment would be a philosophical as well as military failure.

Perhaps the mavens at the US State Department and others with an influence on international diplomacy have run out of thoughts on how to resolve this situation with the least possible damage. Maybe it's time to discover a way of settling international disputes without covering the world in radioactive ashes. Instead of the US government sending jillions of dollars to research universities to come up with a way to use hydrogen to power over-the-road trucks and solar energy to operate AI data centers they could pay to gather together some deep thinkers and use them to push the world back from the brink.