Homo Economicus

James Madison deemed war was obsolete;
clean economic suasion would prevail.
King George's navy dealt him brusque defeat;
the best ideas--if premature--still fail.
Joe Biden thinks it's worth another try
to free Ukraine without committing men.
But Putin seized Crimea on the sly
and means to call the self-same play again.
The petro-dollars Putin needs to pay
the out-sized military that supports
bulldozing anyone who's in his way
might stall for years in European court.
A better world, where "losses" are mere cash
needs governments more sober, and less rash.