The Gathering Storm

This was the title of Volume I of Winston Churchill’s History of World War II. There are indications that a no less intense storm is gathering now. Biden made a bold and brave visit to Kiev over the weekend and is making a speech in Poland today. The Chinese are threatening to supply arms to Russia. Putin announced that Russia is pulling out of the nuclear treaty. An ominous face-off seems to be forming between the autocratic regimes controlling Russia, Iran, China and North Korea on one side, and the NATO countries and their counterparts among the democracies on the Pacific Rim on the other. Meanwhile, as was the case in the years preceding Pearl Harbor, isolationist sentiment is rising in the U. S. I’m reminded of John F. Kennedy’s principle: “Never negotiate out of fear, but never to negotiate.” I would suggest, as a corollary, “Never stop searching for ways to peace, but know that appeasement is not one of them.