As global leaders stride meaningfully around the hallways of power with everyone’s favorite ACDC song playing, sarcastically or not, on repeat, I offer a question and a bit of a challenge.  Why not just back down?

Dear Global-Leader-Involved-in-Determining-the-Future-of-Ukraine,

You’re all over the news these days with everyone saying ‘he can’t back down’ or ‘they have to keep doing such and such.’  But last I checked, real global leaders are bigger than that.  No one can tell y’all what to do – you’re Boss! – why let it happen now?

I’m no global strategist, nor am I particularly good at backing down, but there are a couple reasons for you to consider doing so beyond the obvious ‘avoidance of all out war’ (which actually seems good enough for me).

Among them:

• Some investors believe that when a trend is common knowledge to the point of cliché, it is time to capitalize on the opposite.  While there is certainly more to the current situation than money, perhaps it is time to pull a fast one and do the opposite of what everyone expects.  Who knows?  Obama got a Nobel before he had done anything (well, except briefly restore faith in modern democracy and become the first African American elected POTUS).  That was a tipping point.  The Nobel used to be about moving forward.  Obama got it on the promise of going forward.  You could get it for moving backwards.  If I were on the committee I would vote for each of you.
• Second, you already have huge backyards. Seriously.  Huge.  Did you know Russia has more surface area than Pluto?  True – look it up.  And Pluto used to be a planet.  Do any of you need more land mass to take care of?  Not to mention the squabbling tenants.  You folks already made it – you got the big house and the huge yard and more cars than anyone needs.  Cars that even come with super secret options regular folk can’t get.  You made it – no need to prove anything.
• Finally, post September 11, America made a mistake (in my opinion) and dishonored the victims of that tragedy by launching a war against a Taliban actively suing us for peace.  Not that the Taliban were cool.  And this obviously isn’t quite the same – I mean, hell, 123% of voters in Crimea actually want to be a part of Russia according to the numbers.  Regardless of what kind of shenanigans got us to this point, the point is big kids shouldn’t launch un-just wars.  It isn’t cool. And it won’t make the world a better place.  No reason to repeat what has already proved stupid.

Finally, for folks so interested in reputation, History isn’t going to think any of this was at all funny. Because it isn’t.  It has gone too far already.  People have died and if it goes further there are many more real, wonderful people, who will die.  For what?

So, Leaders.  Please man up and step down.  You’re Boss.  Act like the ones in history we all love – – those who stood for peace.  Life is too short for this, legacies are too long, and there are enough toys to go around.

Thanks.

PS – hats off to all those working incredibly hard to resolve this peacefully – we’re rooting for you.