OP-ED – Anyone who wants to see America go to war with Russia has obviously over Ukraine never had to endure nuclear attack drills in elementary school or served in the military during the Cold War. It is utterly ridiculous for Americans and world leaders to ignore history for a stubborn Ukranian leader who won’t agree to a ceasefire and peace to put and end to three years of death.
Anyone clamoring for America to square off with Russia over Ukraine must have skipped the history lessons—or the duck-and-cover drills.
Former President Barack Obama once told his opponent Mitt Romney, “The 80s called. They want their foreign policy back.”
It was a time when Russia and the U.S. were not only at peace, but the two countries were growing closer. President Obama did not believe Russia was a serious threat to America due to the prosperity between the two nations.
Those of us who grew up with the specter of mushroom clouds looming over recess, or who served during the Cold War’s frostiest days, know better. The idea of poking the Russian bear with American lives and treasure, all for a conflict that’s less about liberty and more about a stubborn refusal to negotiate, is as reckless as it is absurd.
America has spent nearly the past 100 years trying to keep itself out of war with Russia, not by appeasing, but through negotiations, peace deals, trade, and diplomacy, once both sides realized massing troops at the border and nuclear weapons weren’t doing the job.
Let’s cut through the noise.
Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, has had every chance to broker a ceasefire and pursue peace. Instead, he’s dug in, fueled by a seemingly endless supply of Western weapons and applause, while rejecting any deal that doesn’t meet his maximalist demands.
Today’s he’s out asking Europe for more money and seeking the praise of the European war machine. He’s already asked for ground troops to reinforce his own army.
The man’s a former comedian turned wartime poster boy—charismatic, sure—but his refusal to compromise doesn’t justify risking a global catastrophe. Some whisper he’s too hopped up on bravado (or worse) to see reason. Whatever the case, his intransigence isn’t worth a single American soldier’s life, let alone the nightmare of nuclear escalation.
History isn’t a suggestion; it’s a warning. The Cold War wasn’t some distant fairy tale—it was a 40-year standoff where both sides knew the stakes.
Proxy wars in Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan bled us dry without ever crossing the line into direct superpower conflict.
Why? Because everyone understood that once the missiles flew, there’d be no curtain call. Yet here we are, with pundits and politicians tossing around war cries like it’s a game of Risk, ignoring the fact that Russia’s nuclear arsenal hasn’t gone anywhere since 1991.
The hawks will tell you this is about democracy, about standing up to tyrants. Spare me. Ukraine’s no beacon of freedom—corruption’s been its calling card for decades.
And Russia’s not exactly trembling at our moral lectures. This isn’t 1945; we’re not the unchallenged giants anymore. China’s watching, Iran’s grinning, and our own backyard’s a mess—border unsecured, economy wobbling, cities crumbling. We’ve got no business playing world police in a Slavic slugfest when our own house is out of order.
What’s the endgame here? A NATO-backed staring contest that ends with Kyiv in rubble and Moscow unmoved? Or worse—escalation that lights up the planet? Those pushing for war act like it’s all upside, like we’ll just strut in, slap Putin on the wrist, and call it a day. They forget that wars spiral, and nuclear ones don’t come with a reset button. Ask the kids who hid under desks in the ‘60s or the vets who stared down Soviet tanks—they’ll tell you this isn’t a script for a Hollywood blockbuster. It’s real, and it’s insane.
Zelensky could end this tomorrow. A ceasefire, a peace talk, a nod to reality—Russia’s not giving up its borderlands without a fight, and Ukraine’s not winning without turning Eastern Europe into a graveyard. America’s job isn’t to bankroll his defiance to the bitter end. It’s to remember what we learned the hard way: superpowers don’t clash directly unless everyone’s ready to lose everything.
So let’s skip the war drums. Tell Zelensky to take the deal. Let Russia and Ukraine sort their mess without us playing apocalypse roulette. Anything less is a betrayal of every lesson the 20th century burned into us. We’ve got bigger fights at home—and no one’s hiding under desks anymore, hoping the sirens stop.