We must ask ourselves what is the cost of war?
For the world, the cost is a worsening of the climate crisis with exponentially increased greenhouse gas emissions from missiles, rockets, and tanks. Rockets also pollute the soil and groundwater; warships disrupt marine eco-systems.
For the Middle East and Africa, countries dependent for grain on Russia and Ukraine - the breadbasket of the world - the cost is famine.
For Ukraine, the cost of a protracted war is more lives needlessly lost, millions more displaced from their homes.
For the United States, the cost is rising inflation, and shrinking paychecks, for the working class.
Rather than risk World War III, and nuclear annihilation, President Biden and Congress must consider the urgent needs of people in the United States, where 100 million are steeped in medical deb t, 100 million may face eviction, 38 million are food insecure, and millions more contend with inflationary woes. Thousands of residents of Flint, Michigan, still have no clean water.
It is unconscionable to hurl money at war profiteers - Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman - for more weapons to fuel a protracted war over there while over here the people struggle to survive.
We have been here before - In Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq - the US launched protracted wars that resulted in millions of civilian deaths. To what end? Someone needs to tell the White House, Congress, the media, politicians, and political pundits, that war is not the answer.
The outlines of a peace agreement - ceasefire, withdrawal of foreign troops, and weapons, self-governance, for Donetsk and Luhansk, control of state borders by Ukraine already exist. MINSK II is an agreement signed by Ukraine and Russia in 2015, but never implemented for lack of political will.
The solution must be a diplomatic one centered around reparations and debt forgiveness for Ukraine, release of US sanctions in return for Russian concessions, semi-autonomy for the Donbas, and guarantees that Ukraine will not join NATO.
The possibility to end the war in Ukraine starts with the missing "Peace" - Diplomacy.
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