Well thanks for the insult, Robo. Neither you nor Donuel seem to be able to focus anywhere near enough on the current crisis, which was the whole point of my starting this thread. I understand your need for philosophical waffle, but, in the case of both of you, it reeks of your not following the news. The fact that you are both meandering into the theory of potential nuclear war, which is manifestly not going to happen on this occasion, is further proof of that.   This is a conflict that has both elements of an existential emergency and of considerations of a very long history of strife in the Middle East. It would be nice if you could focus on that and, perhaps, save your philosophising for another thread. Finally, why don't both of you actually follow the news?