Russia-Ukraine War: Who Are The Culprits Of Peace?
Russia and Ukraine have been part of the same culture for several decades & for three decades after the dissolution of USSR, Russia did not show aggressive even when his allies were joining NATO, but things turned upside down when Volodymyr Zelensky took the seat of power in Ukraine.
New Delhi: After the erstwhile Warsaw pact was dissolved in 1990, there was a promise made to Russia that NATO will neither expand its tentacles eastwards towards Russia nor it will meddle into the affairs of Warsaw pact countries. This was a genuine requirement to maintain peace between two nuclear superpowers of the world which saw the global scenario of fear and uncertainty during the cold war. But that did not happen, while Russia was busy in its internal affairs and recovering from economic crisis, NATO did not only expand eastwards, but it included Warsaw pact countries like Poland, Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Albania, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Slovakia creating serious security concerns for Russia. Imagine a country which is getting surrounded by its biggest enemy on all sides. Russia had its own concerns but when Ukraine started its rhetoric to join NATO in 2019, Russia had no option but to react.
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Today as I am writing this piece after 30 days of intense war, we have lost approximately 21000-22000 lives in Ukraine with equal number of people injured, about 12 million have been rendered homeless, $150 Billion worth infrastructure and industries are destroyed and major cities of Ukraine have been turned into Ghost towns. With no silver lining in the cloud, it is difficult to say when this war is going to be over, and the biggest question arises. Who is actually responsible for this war?
Russia and Ukraine have been part of the same culture for several decades & for three decades after the dissolution of USSR, Russia did not show aggressive posturing even when his allies were joining NATO, but things turned upside down when Volodymyr Zelensky took the seat of power in Ukraine. No country would like to compromise on its security and Russia was no exception so when Zelensky came under heavy influence of America and relied on their sweet words, Russia made its stance clear that it would not want NATO to occupy its backyard.
Over last three years, Russia was patiently talking to key NATO countries who also advised Ukraine to exercise restraint on its rhetoric to join NATO, but Zelensky was so influenced by America that he did not visualise the threat. America made him believe that NATO is an open-door organisation and by joining NATO, he can take his country to new heights. For any seasoned politician, it is difficult to believe but a person who is a comedian and had no experience in politics, this gimmick worked, and the result is right here in front of us. Zelensky kept on believing till weeks back that first Russia will never attack Ukraine and even if it does it, NATO countries will come to his rescue and punish Russia so harsh that it will go in dark ages.
Unfortunately, it is Ukraine who is not on the verge of going into dark ages. Today NATO has not only denied its participation in the conflict but also stated that Ukrainian forces are not of the NATO standard. There can not be a bigger treachery than this. However, United States continued to sell its weapons and war machines to Ukraine and is sending them at an extremely fast pace.
History says that Uncle Sam has been known to the biggest peace breaker in the world. US works on a policy of dominating the world by creating wars and conflicts and make money by selling its war machines. It first creates an enemy by fake propaganda (Like the Fox News case of Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq), then prepares the world against it by spreading lies through its media and intense lobbying through its diplomatic channels. Then it sells war machines and military infrastructure to the countries involved in the conflict. While doing this, it ensures that the conflict is away from the borders of America and maintains its supremacy over the entire situation.
We have numerous examples in the world starting from Korean Wars, Vietnam Wars, Civil War in Laos, Lebanon Conflicts, Dominican Civil War, Cambodian civil war, Invasion of Grenada, Libyan wars, Gulf War, Somali Civil War, Conflict in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatian War of Independence, Conflicts in Haiti, Kosovo, post 9/11 war in Afghanistan, Intervention in Yemen, War against ISIS in Iraq & Syria, Ugandan crisis, turbulences in south China sea and the current crisis in Ukraine. List is very long and the number of lives lost go into several millions.
If we analyse the situation in Ukraine, we see that things have become so worse that to recover out of it, Kyiv will take at least 3-4 decades. While there is no immediate sign of peace, we must understand as to who is guilty of this present situation and whose hands are soaked in blood. As we discussed, the first one is Ukrainian President Zelensky who believed on the rosy promises of NATO and fooled his countrymen, secondly it is America as I narrated earlier. The third party responsible for this carnage is European Union who are dancing to the tunes of Uncle Sam without analysing their own situation.
Despite of fully knowing that most of them are dependent upon Russia for their energy requirements and the worst effect of the war will be on their economies, they are fuelling the conflict aggressively. This is a suicidal attempt but none of them can realise it. While Russia has been preparing for this war for years and created alternatives for his economy, European Union is caught by surprise and the aftereffects will be visible in next few weeks. We will see.
So, weather Ukraine will surrender or not is a difficult question as of now, but two things are sure. First is that the economies of European Union and Asia have taken the biggest brunt of this war and secondly, the conduct of America has paved the foundation of a world order which may pose threats to America and its coalitions in the near future. Clock is ticking fast.
Amit Bansal is a Defence Strategist with keen interests in International Relations and Internal Security. He is also an author, blogger, and poet.
(DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of India.com. The writer is solely responsible for any claims arising out of the contents of this article.)