This war in Ukraine has morphed into a proxy war of the US against Russia. To try for an all out victory contains a high risk of escalation into nuclear options and a nuclear confrontation which should be unthinkable. It is time for the US to be the adult in the room and find a negotiated settlement to end the destruction.

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War has its own powerful draw, and in America, war against Russia or China, even more so. So, we work our way toward a confrontation with Russia in the Ukraine. We are so eager to prove the superiority of capitalism and to fulfill our strange macho needs, that we completely ignore the thousand-pound gorilla of potential nuclear war, in the room. Those with the most to gain work mightily to distract us from that nuclear reality to fuel the war and discourage diplomacy as a solution. But the latest check of the Doomsday Clock finds we are in worse shape than ever, now at 90 seconds from midnight (the doomsday of nuclear holocaust). No reasonable leader would risk that, if given the alternative of a negotiated solution.

Continuing to push Russia into a corner is to risk an escalation into nuclear weapons and potential nuclear war. In that context, American acceptable losses include you and me, not the rich and powerful. In this calculus we are expendable as is the environment of the planet.

In the past, the US was seen as the adult in the room. The one who found a diplomatic solution to the Cuban Missile Crisis and who saw war, and especially nuclear war, as an unacceptable solution to crisis. In the case of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Khrushchev, the Russian leader, also acted as another adult, eager and willing to find a solution.

Our involvement in the current war in Ukraine began as a means to assist Ukraine in its defense against Russian incursions but it has morphed into a war of NATO and the US against Russia.

This current war in Ukraine is seen, by some, as the opportunity to finish what they wanted to do after Germany fell in WWII. Even though Russia, at an incredible cost in Russian lives and devastation, single-handedly saved the Allies, especially western Europe, from the threat of Hitler and fascism before the western allies were ready to open an eastern front. After Hitler was defeated some of the powerful leaders within the western allies dreamed of continuing the war by turning on Russia to wipe out communism. However, the dominant strength of the Red Army in Europe after WWII made such a war impossible.

It was part of the continuing war of capitalism vs. communism that had continued since the Russian Revolution in 1917. Communism was seen as a direct threat to capitalism and, as such, must be defeated.

Since fascism accommodates capitalism so easily, many of the rich and powerful actually preferred fascism to communism. They may not have cared for Hitler's tactics as the leader, but the other concepts of fascism did not bother them (see Charles Lindberg, Henry Ford and many American businesses and corporations).

So, after not being able to continue a hot war against communism, America and the European allies, waged a Cold War creating a powerful CIA and an arms race with the goal of wiping out communism.

Now we seem to be resuming that Cold War mentality, using Ukraine as a proxy battlefield to confront Russia and win, once and for all. It is like taking care of an old grudge.

But although capitalism has become even more dominant in the US, western Europe and much of the world, communism is no longer the dominant ideology within Russia. Perhaps this confrontation can be more clearly defined as a competition between the Western Oligarchs and the Eastern Oligarchs each seeking world domination.

This, however, has little to do with the ordinary folks like most of us, although we are expected, not only to finance the war, but to also support it. This has been accomplished by a media blitz to call on American patriotism. It has called up all the old Russian ghosts, especially from the Cold War years and from years dating back to the early teens of the 20th Century. It is still presented as democracy vs. totalitarianism but the US is now more of an oligarchy than a democracy and Putin is not a Stalin. The support of an American public is nearly irresistible, especially since no American lives are at stake. Our tax money pours into the military industrial complex and the oil companies to replace Russian oil in Europe. Anyone who opposes the war, practically takes their lives in their own hands. But our futures are put at risk in our push for a win.

Do we really think that Russia will accept defeat without using the nuclear possibilities in its arsenal? Would we, if confronted with a Russian victory over this nation? This is dreaming. This is the worst kind of magical thinking. Continuing to poke the enemy in the eye is hardly a viable way to end a conflict.

Why not use diplomacy to find a solution? Can we not get our macho national pride under control enough to see that the alternatives are too risky? We have already destroyed much of Ukraine and its populace in our proxy war. If for no other reason than to save what is left, why not find a workable solution?

This decision is ultimately about preventing a nuclear threat to the survival of the ordinary people and the planet. It is beyond winners and losers, it is about resolving a volatile issue without putting more human life, and even the survival of the planet, at risk. It will take an adult in the room to get past the posing and posturing to find some rational solution. Wars only destroy people and property, and they almost never provide a winner and a loser, but mostly they leave damaged and unhappy participants and enough resentment to fuel another conflict.

Let's put our egos, our national pride and our macho attitudes aside and act like the adult nation we have always presented ourselves to be in the eyes of the world. Let's find a negotiated solution and move the doomsday clock back from its current position of 90 seconds.

This is an adult moment to stop the games and find real solutions.

Authors Website: http://substack.com/@bobpassi

Authors Bio:

I have been a lifelong observer of American democracy and a passionate advocate for civic engagement and social responsibility. Born at the start of World War II, I grew up witnessing the high points of the New Deal, the promise of postwar democracy, and the slow erosion of those ideals in the decades since. I am a retired educator, consultant, and social commentator, and I am able to bring decades of reflection and historical perspective to my work.
My new book is Saving Democracy: From the Warnings of 2016 to the Urgency of 2025, an updated and expanded edition of his original 2016 book that examines how the United States arrived at its current political crossroads-- and how citizen action can help reclaim the democratic promise.
I writes regularly at www.perspectives-bobpassi.org and on Substack at bobpassi.substack.com, where I write about democracy, personal empowerment, and the deeper cultural narratives shaping our time.