By Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan
Invasions can never be accepted, the killing of innocent human beings is never appreciated, wars are never beneficial to anyone, and even victory cannot make you a winner.
I believe that the human being is the most precious thing in this universe, everything else serves the human being. Invasions, wars, are total disasters for humanity. In any religion, culture, civilisation, killing is never preached nor appreciated.
However, we have seen a complete disparity in the media, in the case of the United States invasion of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, etc. Surely, the invader in this case was the US, along with its allies and in the current scenario, it is Russia alone. The victims were the Muslims, while now it is mainly the Orthodox. In the first case, it was the developing countries, rather poor and backward, meanwhile this time it affects Europe.
The news reaching the common man is one-sided and projects Russia as the aggressor, invader and cruel, while Ukraine is the victim. The killing of a human being should always be condemned. The invasion of any sovereign state should be condemned, whether it is done by Russia or the United States or any other country. However, it is right for the common man to know the facts, and understand the Russian narrative, the reason for its invasion. Let the facts reach the common man and let him decide, based on a complete picture, who is right and who is wrong, and what were the circumstances, why Russia invaded.
After the disintegration of the former USSR, there was a certain understanding between Russia and America that Russian interests and security would be protected. But soon after, the US started the expansion of NATO. Especially the accession of Eastern European countries, previously in the Warsaw Pact or the Russian bloc. Russia has always opposed NATO expansion, especially the accession of NATO’s neighbors, which created a direct threat to Russian security. Over and over again, Russia raised its security concerns, many summits and meetings were held, and agreements were signed, but implementation of the agreements was never achieved, yet NATO expansion went ahead.
Russia has declared Ukraine a red line. But the Western world has completely undermined Russian warnings. If Ukraine joins NATO, NATO forces will be deployed there, so Russian security will be compromised. In such circumstances, what are the options left for Russia?
Russia cannot ignore its security concerns. Initially, Crimea was declared independent, serving as a buffer state between Russia and Ukraine. Then the situation worsened, Western powers continued to put more pressure on Russia, and as a consequence Luhansk and Donetsk, separatist regions in Eastern Ukraine, declared independence from Ukraine, with the Russian support, and with Russian troops deployed in the two newly independent states, to maintain the law and order and provide security.
As a reaction to Russian actions, the EU and the US continued to arm Ukraine with lethal weapons and war broke out. Initially, Russia targeted military installations and troops. When Ukraine started arming civilians, and launched a guerrilla war, Russia in response targeted civilian targets as well. This increased the collateral damage, unfortunately.
Sanctions have irked Russia and as its reaction, President Putin put its Nukes on high alert. Now, there are signals to push Russia out of the Security Council, abandoning its veto power, may we see an unimaginable Russian reaction!
This is not a time to prove who is strong, nor is it a matter of ego, but, it is a time to think wisely and intelligently, how to save lives. All parties are urged to calm down and announce an immediate ceasefire. Start talks, all issues should be resolved through diplomatic and political negotiation under the UN Charter. The UN must play its rightful role and should not be undermined by any major country. Any solution that protects human lives is a good solution and requires the satisfaction of all parties involved.
Author: Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan – Sinologist (ex-Diplomat), Editor, Analyst, Non-Resident Fellow of CCG (Center for China and Globalization), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan.
(The views and opinions expressed in this article are only of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinion or position of World Geostrategic Insights).