WAR

 Do you remember what the soothsayer said to Julius Caesar according to Shakespeare?  "Beware the Ides of March" - the Ides is the middle day of the month or March 15.  

I'm back onto war again.  It's remains at the top of the from page of my mental newspaper.  Here are some random and maybe disjointed thoughts.

*I keep thinking about the "end game".  How will this thing in Ukraine end?  My guess is the following.  Putin will push on until his troops have occupied Kyiv and captured, killed or chased out President Zelenskiy.   At that time he hopes to control the western part of the country called the Donbas and all the coastal areas on the Black Sea and Sea of Azov.   He does not have enough military to really control the whole country.  At this time he will appoint a temporary president and call for a vote to elect a new president - candidates to his liking, of course.  He will welcome back refugees who fled the country. 

*How could the war have been averted?   My thinking now is that we could have stopped the war by military action on day one.  With warning, NATO jets could have flown into Ukraine and fired warning shots when the first soldier crossed the line.  NATO has inserted itself into many border skirmishes in Africa even though those countries are not part of NATO.  NATO has agreements with the African Union.  That model could have been used here.  The Russians could have stayed in their positions without losing face.  Talks could have been held - threats made on both sides. I believe invasion averted.

*What will happen when the invasion is ended - no matter how and when that is?  What I'm wondering is: just when does the world stop with all the penalties imposed on the Russian people?   If the war ends badly for Ukraine, will Russia be a pariah forever?  Will the West draw a line in the sand that says they can come no further?  Will we all eventually fade back into the cold war where tension lives and enemies barely talk.  

*Truthfully, I don't know what to think.  Pray for a lasting peace.