Russia needs to replace Putin before his endless toleration of provocations results in the final war.

Russia’s response to the illegal seizure of its ship, Marinera, in the high seas–an act of war–is to demand that Washington ensures dignified treatment of the Russian citizens aboard. Washington could not care less about Russian demands. Putin proved to Washington long ago that Russia’s bark has no bite.

As I have written for years now, the absence of any bite in Russia’s bark is driving the world to nuclear war. By tolerating every provocation, Putin has encouraged the provocations to increase and to worsen. For example, when Russia’s strategic bombing fleet was attacked, Putin refused to acknowledge it as an act of war. When the United States attempted to assassinate Putin in his residence, Putin refused to acknowledge it as an act of war.

Seizing ships on the high seas is an act of war. The United States has acknowledged throughout its history that seizing ships on the high sea is an act of war. In 1801 President Thomas Jefferson sent the US Navy and US Marines to the Shores of Tripoli to stop the Arab seizure of American ships in international waters and sale of the passengers into slavery. When the British seized American ships, it resulted in the war of 1812. Now we have the United States claiming that US law applies to all ships in all oceans, and a federal judge has backed up this ridiculous claim by issuing a warrant for an empty ship under the Russian flag to be seized on the high seas 5,500 kilometers from the United States.

The lunatic in the White House describes this as “protecting America.”

The Convention on the Law of the Sea guarantees freedom of navigation and prohibits the seizure of ships registered in other countries. Just as Trump’s kidnapping of the Venezuelan head of state and first lady is an impeachable offense, so also is the seizure of ships on high seas. But do not expect any accountability in a country whose population has been brainwashed and indoctrinated into believing that they are under attack and must defend themselves by every means legal and illegal.

Putin has convinced Washington that there is no provocation that will produce any Russian reaction except a few meaningless words. This is the road to the final war.

China’s inaction mirrors Russia’s and has eroded the one China policy established by President Nixon in the 1970s. In its place is a growing belief that Taiwan, like Greenland, belongs to the United States and is to be protected by the US Navy and hundreds of American missiles shipped to Taiwan. The Chinese government’s failure to deal with reality is leading to war.

The same in Iran. As a result of inaction, the Iranian government has squandered its strategic advantage, and left itself more surrounded and isolated. There is still no mutual security agreement among these three countries. Such an agreement would bring the provocations to a halt. Apparently the governments are incapable of understanding that their effort to avoid conflict is leading to conflict.

What will the next provocation be? The US Navy sailing into Sevastopol and impounding the Russian Black Sea fleet? Perhaps to avoid this humiliation is the reason Russia is building an alternative base in Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia.

Russia needs to replace Putin before his endless toleration of provocations results in the final war.