War in Europe

Some things to remember:

• "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent."—Isaac Asimov
• Russian president Vladimir Putin lost the argument. This is his tantrum. But like a 15-year-old with a rifle, he's still a threat to everyone else.
• The argument is that liberal democracy produces better outcomes for everyone than lawless autocracy. Notice that Russian kleptocrats keep their money in the US and UK, countries with strong institutions and rule of law.
• Russia's economy, which is based on resource extraction, is the 11th largest in the world, after Italy, Canada, and South Korea. It's smaller than New York State's and just a little bigger than Illinois' and Florida's. California's GDP is more than double Russia's. So is the UK's.
• Wars never stay confined to their initial theater. How badly this spills out should keep us awake at night.

A friend in Kyiv sent these photos earlier today. People leaving Kyiv:

Explosions in the city:

Photos by Татьяна Мисиюк

Here's what the professionals have to say:

• Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright calls the invasion "a historic error."
• The Economist wonders how far this will all go.
• Timothy Noah wishes political leaders would consult economists before starting wars, because then they probably wouldn't.
• As I do, Josh Marshall sees this as "part of the larger contest between civic democracy and authoritarianism."
• Anne Applebaum calls it "calamity again."
• Jennifer Rubin congratulates the EU on its efforts so far, but says the body can do more.

I'll be monitoring this situation closely.