On the eve of the 24th of February, the Ukraine woke up to the ferocious roars of war. A couple of days ago this dreadful scenario still seemed a fictional possibility, but now it is a reality. We are in the 21st Century and Putin has pushed us back in time, to the previous century. Truth be said, wars occur more often than we realise all around the world. This time, however, war has knocked on our neighbourhood’s front door.
The Ukraine has been crying for help, whilst dealing all alone against this tyrant. How are the EU and the United Kingdom, the NATO Alliance and the United Stated dealing with this war? It is well-know that the West has always stood as a strong advocate for peace and security, prosperity, International Law, but in times like this we ought to shuffle through the words and dig deeper into what happens in practical terms.
The EU and the United Kingdom
Both were expeditious in releasing official statements, and with no surprise both condemned Putin’s Act of war. The choice of words utilised matter; this is an invasion albeit we ought to highlight that it is an entirely unjustified and unprovoked act of war. An attack to the Ukraine and consequently, an attack towards all the paladins of freedom.
Leaders scattered all over the political spectrum may not be liked by all, in times of crises we ought to assess and work with what we have got. Boris Johnson has been for some time now, in the crosshairs of scandals and public discontent. However, we ought to admit that No 10 was one of the very first political leaders to clearly address the real threat of an attack on the Ukraine. In his address to the nation the PM commences as such:
“Today in concert with our allies we will agree a massive package of economic sanctions designed in time to hobble the Russian economy”.
The eloquent wording might mesmerise some people, believing that this is the presentation of a clear action plan, worthy of analysis. UK’s Prime Minister utilises the expression “concert with our allies”, admittedly a strong and powerful image to depict the brittle and quasi dead synergy in the alliance. A “concert” should be a harmoniously working body cooperating towards a successful symphony. People have not heard any melody. The mentioning of “massive packages of economic sanctions”, might be the way the government has chosen to act, but it is an act of silence. Economic sanctions won’t stop a dictator who was already attacked a sovereign state in Europe’s backyard. The Russian economy might be sinking, but so are other economies around Europe. Sanctions at this point, do not act as a shield to the occupation of the Gostomel airfield, a breath away from the Antonov airport on the northern edge of the Ukrainian capital.
The PM’s discourse followed: “Diplomatically, politically, economically – and eventually, militarily – this hideous and barbaric venture of Vladimir Putin must end in failure”. That is all well and good. By the time these words were spoken the neo-Tsar had already stepped onto Ukrainian soil. Diplomatically we have failed, because diplomacy ought to be utilised as a tool to prevent a war from happening in the first place. Diplomacy is now a subordinate. The mechanics of politics unfortunately do not function, when on the other side of the table you are faced with a dictator who does not will to comprehend the notions of peace, democracy and sovereign rights. Economically sanctions have been put in place, but it is not a drastic enough measure. Sanctions of this calibre do not suffice. An individual prepared to start a war such as Putin, has already thought and planned along the economic consequences that a war throws upon the economy of a nation.
The last resort seems to be “eventually militarily”. Arguably this is the only tool left to defend the people of Ukraine. In alarming times, such as now, leaders are faced with tough decisions. The West does not want a war, because wars are never worth the loss, but once you are called into the field, it is our duty to firmly stand by our principles, in the name of our ancestors who have lost their lives for a peaceful world. Perpetrators of international norms should not be allowed to play in the geopolitical chess game undisturbed. Putin is dictating upon us his own, illogical rules to serve his personal agenda. The international community ought to act swiftly and promptly. We do not have the luxury of waiting anymore. The war has knocked on all our doors. Today, the tidal wave of violence drowned the Ukraine, tomorrow it might be all of us. Putin is setting a dangerous precedent that might tickle the audacity of other dictators, not very far from the European bubble.
Ursula Von der Leyen, not many days ago addressed the European Parliament as follows:
“The very reason why our Union was created is to put an end to all European wars”. There is not much to disagree with this statement, but what begs a question is: How are we addressing this issue? Are the guidelines proposing to remain put and wait for waves of violence to drown our principles, our virtues?
27 countries are members of the European Union, alas every single one of these countries, part of this union, is letting one mad man pour blood and scribble all over our history. The EU, with all its power and decision-making process, with resources and cooperation is letting a perpetrator shove us in the corner of our own borders. We are a union in good times; but in tough times, where drastic, unpleasant measures must be taken every European State is left alone. It is not the first time the European continent faces invasions. Back in 1974 Cyprus was brutally invaded by Turkey, and yet again another sovereign state was left to sink into invader’s hands.
In a recent tweet, the president of the European Commission celebrated the common standing of the EU and NATO, describing it as “proof of how close the EU and NATO are responding to the Kremlin’s actions”. We must admit that Europe has some of the most eloquent speakers in the world; if wars were made of words we would definitely be in a strong position. Alas, wars are fought by people, human lives are at stake. Speeches from our leaders, condemnations on paper have not saved the Ukraine from more than 7 years of suffering. The Ukraine is fighting until its last breath is grabbed away, alone. The motto “our unity is our strength”, is reiterated times and times again and it does eventually win the hearts and minds of the people of Europe. A threat is enough to break the thin thread of trust left in our community, because although we are a union, standing for peace and justice, when world peace is threated, we bury our heads in the sand.
Apart from the fact that Russia has declared war; it has breached the sovereignty of the Ukraine, it has outrightly breached International Law and is in serious breach of the Minsk Agreements. Putin has been collecting breaches at an international level for some time now, where is the deterrence factor, where are we hiding the consequences of an array of breaches? Perpetrators are allowed to act freely whilst innocent people are losing their lives, their homes, their countries, their right to life. The Human Rights Act is currently being stepped on by the Russian autocrat and the rest of the world seems to have puzzled in shock.
The NATO Alliance
The Ukraine is not a NATO member and will most probably never be one. However, we are asked to question the tenacity of the NATO alliance when neighbouring countries have triggered Article 4 of the NATO Convention i.e. any member can call for a consultation of the North Atlantic Council when “the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the parties is threatened.” Reasonably, NATO has procedural protocols and steps to de-escalate tensions, but what happens when tensions have already hit the peak? NATO is an intergovernmental military alliance. Strangely, NATO military intervention has yet to be seen. Russian forces have been left to “parade” undisturbed into the Ukrainian capital. In just over 15 hours Kiev and Chernobyl fell into Russian hands, it makes you wonder what might happen next if no action by the rest of the international community is taken.
Sources:
- https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/prime-ministers-address-to-the-nation-on-the-russian-invasion-of-ukraine-24-february-2022
- https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/russia-ukraine-forces-battle-for-airbase-on-kyiv-outskirts-2787601
- https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/news/speech-president-von-der-leyen-european-parliament-plenary-eu-russia-relations-european-security-and-2022-02-16_en
- https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/human-rights/human-rights-act
- https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/official_texts_192404.htm
By The European Institute for International Law and International Relations.
