The world as we know it is under threat. We are past the phase of speculating whether there may be historic grounds for Russia's invasion. We are on the brink of a devastating war, where such speculation is a luxury the world cannot afford.

The focus should now be on the threat and how to de-escalate a war that could plunge us into a world war too ghastly to contemplate. When your home is invaded by heavily armed thugs, holding a gun to your head, you cannot afford the luxury of armchair or academic discussions on whether they perhaps have genuine gripes for invading your home, threatening, injuring and killing your family and destroying your property.

Nato and its partners have no choice but to consider all options, short of military intervention, to isolate and weaken Russia that is clearly willing to leave a scorched earth behind. It is blatantly committing war crimes before the eyes of the world, bombing civilian targets to weaken the resistance of the brave Ukrainian nation. An extraordinary challenge requires extraordinary measures.

The rule-based international system is under threat like never before. On the positive side, the family of nations are standing together like never before — an unprecedented show of unity. Operating in an interconnected and interdependent world has its advantages and disadvantages.

Dawie Jacobs, Sterrewag, Pretoria