It appears there has been yet another bout of Russian brutality inflicted upon the tragically beleaguered city of Kyiv, with over two dozen unfortunates meeting their inevitable doom amidst barrages of drones and missiles. The current U.S. president, Donald Trump, has expressed the predictable outrage, condemning the attacks in his usual, unsubtle fashion. He has issued a ten-day ultimatum to Russia, dramatically shortening his previous timeline, and threatened all sorts of economic misfortune via tariffs – not only for Russia, but possibly for any nation so gauche as to trade with them, including, one assumes, the Chinese and Indian upstarts. Meanwhile, his tireless envoy is being dispatched on a fruitless diplomatic shuttle, as if stern words and hastily waved passports could tame such unrefined international actors. And, of course, while all this theatre is playing out, the carnage in Kyiv persists, with no glimmer of resolution in sight.

It is always astonishing to me – though, truly, by now one should expect so little from the world's governing classes – how consistently dramatic gestures replace actual competence. One marvels at the spectacle: entire populations held hostage to the whims of men who mistake petulance for statecraft. The new deadline is ten days, you say? Oh, how the mighty flex their calendars! What is this, a schoolboy threatening to end a cricket match if his opponent does not surrender by teatime? If the United States truly desired an end to this tiresome conflict, perhaps it might have acted swiftly from the beginning – instead of prancing about with threats and envoys and tariffs, expecting the world to tremble at American ultimatums.

But no, we are treated instead to economic bluster, as if the threat of tariffs could deter men who have no regard for the prosperity of their own people. Meanwhile, the great masses – poor, trembling wretches that they are – must simply endure whatever fate decrees, as their lives and livelihoods become mere collateral in great power games. Naturally, the wealthy – such as myself – remain insulated, watching from our safe vantage points as the world burns on schedule, under the management of those who can neither organize tea nor peace.

One would almost be amused at such predictable, decadent ineptitude if it were not so very tiresome. Is one to believe that Russia, with its long history of suffering and endurance, will shrink before the prospect of a tariff? Or that China and India, motivated by national interest, will suddenly toss aside their own calculations to appease Washington's latest outburst? Spare me the charade. Until the world's leadership is composed of individuals with proper breeding, education, and an authentic understanding of power, we shall continue to watch this melodrama – with the lower orders, as always, paying the highest price.