There is an old Japanese saying that you “Fight Fire With Water.” It goes against our own philosophy that you “Fight Fire With Fire” as the preferred method for dealing with adversity or a difficult situation. When juxtaposed, the contrast is very telling.

In the coming hours, EU leaders and delegates will meet to discuss additional sanctions to be placed on Russia for their involvement in the Ukraine, and its alleged role in the tragic downing of Malaysia Air MH17. As I sit back and watch this process unfold,  it presents itself as a runaway train, or rudderless vessel, lacking the restraint of lessons learned from a prior history of a bitter and unproductive Cold War that ranged from 1947 to 1985. Are we about to make the same costly mistakes in the name of MH17 and its victims? I sincerely hope not because an overwhelming majority of those lost souls would not wish to become the catalyst for another 40 or 50 years of strife and a world divided. This is an opinion I’ve formed from reading about them through the eyes of friends, colleagues and family.

As the world contemplates what actions to take, it needs to consider a number of things before making its decisions.

1. It was risky and almost negligent to allow MH17 to enter an airspace where there was known anti-aircraft activity. It almost redefines stupidity.
2. You cannot take the MH17 event, place it under a microscope, without considering the entire chronology of events that have driven the Ukraine Crisis to this point.
3. You can not place blame on Russians for providing weapon systems to Ukrainian Separatists without exposing oneself to an accounting for the innocent civilian lives lost as a result of our own NATO covertly supplying weapon systems around the world; none of which was malicious, or evil, but done  with an eye towards advancing national interests. I think it’s fair to question Mr. Putin’s approach to protecting Russia’s national interests in the Crimea and Ukraine but ludicrous to deny they exist or that they may be divergent from the West’s perceptions.
4. Lastly, there is a preponderance of evidence supporting the ineffectiveness of economic sanctions. Look around the world and I think you’ll see increased recalcitrance with the general population absorbing the brunt of its effects, without the culpability.

MH17 was a tragedy in all respects, but has there ever been a war without incidents of fratricide or collateral damage? Regrettably not!

I think it’s time for the fire hoses to come out before we all go up in flames. I can’t think of a better way to honor those lost lives than to memorialize them as the catalyst that brought peace to the Ukraine and its people.