Problems

According to Straiss & Howe,  the Crisis is the time for fixing things that have been left alone too long,  for which the only solution is a massive re-allocation of resources, aimed directly at what has been let alone.

What, though, has been let alone long enough? How recent does the problem need to be, or not? Slavery was a long-term problem, one that had been an issue for centuries, even before the Founders ,  punted on it after the Revolutionary War. Hitler and Tojo has been around for only a few years: what made them a problem that couldn't wait? Sure, one attacked and the other declared war - the United States pounced back immediately, no hesitation.  The Lusitania, on the other hand, may have pushed war closer for the United States, but it was two years before the U.S. entered The Great War.

All of which comes to mind when thinking of the Ukraine, and of Putin. He doesn't seem to be a problem that has been left alone for too long. Even if people in the U.S. aren't big fans, they also don't seem to be in a rush to do something about him. Maybe at some point people will decide he's Tojo. Maybe there are bigger problems to be handled first.