Commentary As 2021 ends, Russia threatens to invade Ukraine (eastern Europe) and China threatens to invade Taiwan (east Asian littoral). Russia’s early December troop movements along its Ukraine border and China’s fall 2021 aerial and naval penetrations of Taiwanese territory are well-publicized displays of massed conventional armed forces poised to enter another nation’s sovereign territory and wage war. The displays demonstrate Moscow’s and Beijing’s military capabilities to launch peace-shattering offensive strikes with the goal of seizing territory they do not currently possess. The publicity campaigns accompanying Russia’s and China’s saber-rattling include diplomatic harangues, economic bullying, and calculated attacks on democracy. However, Russia’s and China’s propaganda is so blatantly theatrical I doubt either dictatorship is making immediate preparations for war. My December bet: the military shows of force are really camera-ready feints to attract media attention and frighten spineless Western leaders—and unfortunately, we’ve too many of those. What we are witnessing …