We humans seem incapable of learning anything from history. WWII could have been prevented if the so-called "Great Powers" had opposed Hitler's occupation of the Rhineland. But instead, appeasement ensured WWII was inevitable. Since 2014 the West has remained supine in the face of Russian aggression, and continues to remain supine despite the obvious existential nature of the threat. Instead of taking purposive action, we've indulged babbling journalists gabbing mindlessly about supposed Russian incapacity. And so Russia today is far more formidable than it was in February 2022 - they have learned and adapted over the last 18 months and have created tactics in Ukraine that NATO would find very, very difficult to counter. As always, weakness invited aggression. We continue to signal our irresolution and weakness, which - as you correctly point out - brings a much larger war ever-closer.