Hi Jacques. The few people who want the U.S. to be involved in far away regions are pragmaticsts about human nature and follow the history of the world. Nothing can ever be perfect. Some matters will always be made worse. Damned if you do; damned if yon't.

I'll explain why what's happening in Ukraine impacts not only the security of the U.S., but its economic health.

Putn is not negotiating with anyone. His goal is to destroy Ukraine and put in a puppet government. Let's say we let him do it. Then he sets oil/gas and some other prices to Europe. Europe gets weaker and Russia gets stronger with weapons (from EU money). Russia, now master of Europe closes its markets to the U.S. (What China is doing more of today). By your logic, that is okay. It's Russia and Ukraine's business. But is it? Is it really what Russian wants, or Ukrainians in the future? Putin has been threatening nuclear strikes. You want to give him more and better nukes through the possession of recently disovered oil/gas fields in Ukraine?

Don't get me wrong. There is no beef with Russian or Chinese people. But political leaders can make a right mess of things--especially in times of economic weakness (like today).

All in all, hasn't Middle East policy worked in the past 20 years from our perspective? We've had unimaginable innovation and growth. Israel has prospered. Of course, many matters made worse too.

I'm not a US rah-rah patriot. We've got our pathologies and sickos running around, especially in our government. However, we are better than the alternative. We could have reduced Bagdad to rubble, but we didn't. We could have reduced Kabul to rubble, we didn't. We don't have a military with rampant corruption and hazing. All those Afghans trying to get out of Kabul should tell us something. We take so much for granted.

If we don't protect a fledling democracy like Ukraine, which selfishly, has a lot to offer us, then do you believe Russia and China will throw out all their weapons and live in peace? Why did China build such a huge military in the past 20 years? When did we threaten them? We haven't. Not once. We even let them built all the islands in the Spratleys with barely a peep. Which, by the way, they LIED about. They said only for research. But I digress.

The U.S isn't going to negotiate a peace with Russia because Russia won't negotiate--not with the U.S., not with ukraine, not with anyone. No matter how badly it keeps losing it keeps believing we'll do just what you say--lose interest because Ukraine has no impact on us. At some point it will destroy so much that we'll say, well, nothing there anymore so just take it.

I hope not. That's not a world I want to live in. That's a world where matters would have been made a LOT worse!

Sorry for long rant!