US intel points to an imminent invasion of Ukraine. (CNN)

The Biden Administration is facing an immediate foreign policy crisis that could severely impact American foreign policy in Europe and Asia. Current deterrents of war are primarily the threat of sanctions against agressive state actors. Placing American lives in the way of harm or the possibility of escalating the conflict will require restraint on the part of the global superpowers which is likely to be exercised. The new alliance between China and Russia is of particular concern when calculating a risk benefit analysis of committing to a broader conflict.