By Eric Blair

Another war, another opportunity for the truly zealous to reach for their military Viagra. With the Ukraine crisis now past a fortnight, leave it yet again to those who delude themselves into believing that modern warfare is like the video game, Fortnite, with a similar lack of moral hazard involved. 

Claiming that “something” has to be done in the pursuit of protecting Ukraine from Vladimir Putin’s petulance, the interventionists are demanding NATO impose a no-fly zone over the beleaguered country, echoing an utterly unreasonable, albeit impassioned plea from Ukrainian President Zelensky. As heart-wrenching to watch, and ire-inducing as Russia’s unacceptable actions are, the solution is not for the United States -- and NATO member states more broadly -- to risk the inevitable escalation of this conflict by serving as the largely self-appointed air patrol over the skies of Kyiv, Khardiv and elsewhere. 

Putin has proven that, whether driven by vendetta or frustration, he seems unwilling to employ a reverse gear to his onslaught machine. Every NATO jet over Ukraine increases exponentially the possibility of direct engagement between a Russian fighter jet and a corresponding F-16 or F-22. The downing of any air force plane will undoubtedly be deemed an act of war; for two nuclear heavy countries both currently at the equivalent of DEF-CON 3, those with a Top Gun fetish or fantasy would be wise to stay clear of trying to create a new MIG Alley in Eastern Europe.