With NATO unable to intervene militarily due to the threat of nuclear war, it initially looked like Ukraine was on its own. Once again, the Russian bear would do as it wills.<p>However, coordinated sanctions backed by the crucial will to take an economic hit if necessary have made it possible that, if it the bear cannot be fought, it might instead be fenced in and driven back with starvation.<p>Germany is still importing Russian oil, but less of it. Do they and the EU have the will and the coordination to turn off Russia's last pipelines of money for munitions?<p>If the West can tame the bear without fighting it, that will be a huge win for Western diplomacy. It will prove that the post WWII world order <i>can</i> do what it was designed to do. It will prove that its possible to tamp down the aggression of bad actors without threatening the world with nuclear war.<p>If the West fails in this and either lets Ukraine fall or decides to roll the dice and intervene militarily, then the future security of the world is going to take a big hit. The bear must be tamed, but without war.<p>If you're in Germany, tell your government to ban Russian oil. This will hurt Germany, but could be the key difference that keeps nuclear conflict off the table.