The failures in understanding – and, at times, the deliberate distortion of – the relationship between self-defence and humanitarian restraint must be acknowledged lest they become normalized, embedding a dangerous precedent about what is deemed acceptable in wartime.

Even if one overlooks Golden Dome’s staggering cost and technical shortcomings, its most basic premise collapses under scrutiny. Nuclear war is not a discrete contingency that can be managed with technology. It is a civilizational collapse.

Russia continues to pose a formidable danger to Ukraine, one that has profoundly destabilized the European security order. Yet extrapolating that danger into the specter of a Russian march across NATO borders lacks evidence, misreads intent, and distorts policy responses.

The possibility that nuclear weapons might be used constrains how far Ukraine’s “Coalition of the Willing” can deter or respond, even if hundreds of billions are spent and dozens of nations pledge support.