ANY day now, perhaps even by the time this column sees print, Russia will launch a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, starting a war that could very well draw in most or all of the world's leading powers. It is a nightmare scenario, but it is inevitable. And even for those of us who are far from the conflict, it will have dire implications.

The reason why the war is inevitable is mostly due to history, and partly due to the personality of Russian President Vladimir Putin, at least with respect to his perceptions of that history and Russia's place in it.