As a child, the game I hated most was hide-and-seek. I’ve never enjoyed hiding and preferred being chased, and confronting my chaser. Perhaps that’s part of my motivation for writing this. But even more important is my knowledge of history. Learning from the mistakes of the past should always guide decisions of the present and future. So here we are, once again, at a crossroads in history. How our government and the rest of the world reacts, will shape the future of our planet, just as much as climate change.

Vladimir Putin is a bully. Bullies will bully until someone has the guts to stand up to them. So far, the world is not showing much resolve. In case anyone needs proof, all one need do is look at how ineffective sanctions are with North Korea, Iran, Venezuela etc. Never has a country been brought to it’s knees by sanctions. It just gives the evil dictators more resolve at the expense of innocent civilians. Sanctions, are not enough to deter evil men from doing evil.

If anyone is interested on how to end this illegal incursion into the Ukraine, it’s quite simple. NATO needs to say that we will not allow Russia to kill and maim innocent civilians because of the warped and twisted logic given, for invading a peaceful neighbor without provocation. We will therefore provide any assistance necessary and will impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine. NATO will surround the Russian troops and will make it impossible to win. Russia is fighting on a number of different fronts. They can’t fight from the front and from behind on multiple fronts. We know that their supply chain is weak at best and that 40-mile long convoy is nothing more than target practice for drones and NATO fighter jets. An ultimatum must be give to Putin with assurances that no troops will be harmed if he begins a withdrawal from Ukraine, immediately.

Fear can not play into this decision. If Putin is really crazy enough to use nuclear weapons, anything can be used as an excuse to fire them. Dictators don’t need excuses. If they say the sky is brown, then it’s brown. To placate a dictator is to ask for trouble. Sooner or later, NATO will be drawn into this conflict. Sooner is better. Russia is facing fierce resistance and would be rapidly defeated if NATO was to intercede now. If Hitler had been confronted after he took the Sudetenland, WWII could have been avoided, or at least would have ended far sooner. Millions of lives would have been saved. Do we ever learn from history?

For anyone who thinks this is too dangerous, it needs to be understood that this military bullying will not end with Ukraine. All one need do is look at history. It’s a great teacher. If Putin responds with a nuclear option, NATO needs to remind Putin that NATO also has nuclear weapons and it would mean the end of Russia’s existence. If Putin is backed into a corner, with assurances that NATO has no intention of aggression against Russia, Putin will have to make a choice. But at least we would have the answer now, today. Otherwise, we will be getting involved later, when Russia’s troops are no longer occupied with fighting the Ukrainian resistance.

President Biden and NATO need to confront Putin today, or else, risk being written down as another chapter in this long and sad history of this violent planet, that men too often choose to turn in to a graveyard.