World War III? As Russia launches the war against Ukraine with dawn missile strikes at Kyiv, people around the world are wondering if this is the ominous start of what would be another Great War of global scale and untold devastation.
Times are unpredictable. As late as on Tuesday, geopolitical experts had discounted the possibility of a full-blown war in Eastern Europe. But the message Russian President Vladimir Putin gave on Thursday morning is loud and clear. The Russian military action is unlikely to be rolled back before it meets its objectives.
Putin's goal is nothing less than overthrowing the regime of Volodiymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv. The Russian President has asked the Ukraine armed forces to surrender. However, in his immediate reaction to Russian aggression, Zelenskiy has vowed to fight on.
Will Biden and Boris Walk the Talk?
A protracted Ukraine resistance will no doubt make it a bloody conflict. Putin, who has amassed hundreds of thousands of troops around Ukraine is ready to fight until he reaches his goal. He has even rolled in tanks that are suited for urban warfare.
A long-haul battle in Eastern Europe is a terrifying prospect. If the Western leaders walk the talk, they will have to defend Ukraine – which again makes the war a longer, more complicated one. If Joe Biden and Boris Johnson choose not to defend Ukraine, that will mark the shameless nadir of their strategic failure.
Putin has said in unequivocal terms that whoever tries to stop his military action in Donbas will be met with 'consequences they have never seen'. That's a direct challenge to Biden, Boris and their allies, who have been jovially drumming for a war all along. Putin has thrown down the gauntlet. And it's rolling up at Biden and Boris' door steps. Will they challenge Putin or merely go home uttering inanities that don't comfort Zelenskyi?
Disastrous Project of Nato Expansionism
It will be interesting to watch. But then, what about the scare over an 'impending' World War III? If a larger war breaks out, it will be primarily the making of the United States of America and its leader, Joe Biden. Equally responsible are the UK and Boris Johnson.
These two leaders are driving the disastrous project of Nato expansionism. This, the desire to encircle Russia from all sides and from ever closer territories, is the root cause of this war. History will hold Biden and Boris responsible if the current Russian military action escalates into a wider conflict and leads to bloodshed.
That no one wants a war is quite an overused expression. What if someone really wants a war? The US and UK's mindless push for Nato expansionism is merely anachronistic. It's a hark back from the Cold War closet. There would be no peace in Eastern Europe unless the US and UK abandon this reckless policy.
