Trapping the Russian bear
It’s not that hard to catch a bear.
You just need a trap, some bait, and a lot of patience.
NATO nations repeatedly ignored Russia’s plea that Ukraine remain a neutral country, while Ukrainian extreme right-wing nationalists refused to implement the Minsk protocols, continuing to attack Donetsk and Luhansk.
Together, they baited the trap that lured President Putin into a war that he can’t win, but a war that we will all lose if he decides that employing a nuclear weapon is preferable to going home empty handed.
Let’s drop the ridiculous caricature of an evil Russian president and virtuous West; we set the trap, we baited it with ordinary Ukrainians, and we are the only ones who can end this needless tragedy.
A cold-blooded, calculated refusal to offer a simple promise launched this war, and only that same promise can end it.
Now that we’ve caught the bear, how can we release him before he destroys us all?
Mike Ward
Duncan