Like the photo, even if all Nations look the same when time to influence them to stop armed conflicts, all are placed in different positions, sometimes closer one to the other, but intrinsically diverse. Each of them with colors and nuances that make them one single Nation, with no equivalent. Only one particular culture gets lost when exposed to a global political agenda that unsuccessfully searches to become one. The idea that globalization is about a big global political-culture alliance is simply wrong.
Several conflicts in the last decade, exposed the failure of searching for solutions based on one centered power, instead of a multilateral scenario with tailored-made solutions, having peace, Diplomacy, and solid negotiations as the main goal, and tool. This is not what we are witnessing as NATO focused only on expansion, and the European Union in furthering a war –“as long as it takes”-, that does not even belong to them and is exclusively part of a regional -extremely complex- conflict.
Unresolved regional conflicts such as Gaza or Ukraine-Russia exposed the need to make a creative global system at the service of peace, and not resources and institutions -such as the European Union, UN, WHO, etc.- at the service of globalization.
There is nothing wrong with searching for commercially ambitious goals, however, freedom goes along with rules, and is it the latest that are loosening for the sake of a new global order that is proven to be at the service of other interests rather than building sustainable negotiation processes?
Pretending that it is possible to get one global alliance against pre-determined categories of “victims”, and “aggressors” in long-lasting frictions is not only unfair but ineffective to gain reliability and confidence. As recently pointed out by NATO “ to gain trust and solidarity”. Once you are part of one side, instead of a catalyzer, trust is gone. We are dealing with Nations and different cultures, not simply extremist groups that are in a common interest to fight back. Besides, in the case of Ukraine, there is a frightening connection with the latest.*ª
“the growing sophistication and prominence of Eurasian far-right movements have serious implications for democratic development in the region”
“The war in the East has provided newfound social legitimacy to far-right groups, bringing with it unprecedented levels of funding, recruitment, and organizational capacity”
ª2014 Amnesty International: “… urged the Ukrainian government to stop abuses and war crimes by volunteer battalions operating alongside regular Ukrainian armed forces”.“The Ukrainian authorities must not replicate the lawlessness and abuses that have prevailed in areas previously held by separatists…”
Azov Battalion: “After speaking with dozens of its fighters and embedding on several missions during the past week in and around the strategic port city of Mariupol, the Guardian found many of them to have disturbing political views, and almost all to be intent on “bringing the fight to Kyiv” when the war in the east is over”.
In recent declarations, the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk said that we are in “a pre-war era”, and is certainly a fact if we see it under the steady provocations done from the last 8 years from NATO, and then joining with the European Union. If there is something that Russia has been crystal clear is that the expansion from NATO as well as interference against their struggle with former Soviet regions like Crimea, will be submitted to a violent response.
Is a matter of Diplomacy to make sure that beyond a military mission a peacekeeping mission the one that prevails. * No matter how many times Pres. Putin * made it clear: “ Russia has no aggressive intentions towards Europe”, stating that there is no agenda beyond the main challenge: the threat against Russian citizens because of far-right action in Ukraine.
One of the main reasons why the Ukraine-Russia war is escalating is because of the lack of acceptance of the culture inside the confrontation. Each conflict embraces the features that make it different from any others. Peace comes when there is an acceptance of the historical and political reasons. The fact that Russia invaded Ukraine makes us forget the true reasons that are based on that decision, which very much aligned with the ones that led to Crimea’s annexation. Russian citizens were under attack, and willing for an annexation with Russia. The referendum from March 2014 was clear: 97% allegedly voted to join Russia. Some 60 percent were ethnic Russians, and many might have concluded their economic situation would be better as a part of Russia”.
An illegal referendum yes, but no doubt a democratic one that exposes the real situation of Russian citizens in the region threatened by the determined and violent agenda of the Azov regime that gradually became fully merged with the National Army Forces.
An unprecedented move from the EU to “support” Ukraine turning European foreign affairs into a non-democratic path that is certainly not part of the real goals of the European Union if we take into account the need for financial aid from their Members -especially after pandemics- At 6th February of this year the overall amount of the Facility for the period of 2024-2027 is €50 billion.
Humanitarian aid, diplomacy, and negotiation are different from entering into a war that is not supposed to be on the agenda -not at least as a priority-. However, the arms industry shines some light on the financial side of this move.
Surprisingly the growth of the arms industry is directly linked with the conflict for whom Poland represents the 13% in selling arms to Ukraine “ At least 30 countries have delivered arms from the beginning of the conflict on February 2022. USA 39 %, main supplier, Germany 14 % and Poland 13 %.
If there is something that has been crystal clear from the Russian block, including all those countries that support them, is that the advances from NATO will be considered a threat and will be armed responses. If we add the increasing growth of the far right, corruption, and foreign financial interests the scenario becomes even more complex than just “Russia’s invasion to Ukraine”.
CONTEXT – steadily ignored-
“Since 2014, over 1.1 million people from Ukraine have moved to Russia. The regions of Belgorod, Lipetsk, Voronezh, and Volgograd are among those hosting the largest numbers of displaced people.”*
“Since May 2017, the IFRC and the Russian Red Cross Society have provided humanitarian assistance to more than 10,000 displaced people from Ukraine”
Facts that showcase perfectly how in the last decade the conflict was getting worse in a silent way in Media terms, however in an evident way on the ground reported by different humanitarian organizations. War abuses made by Ukraine´s Government represented by the extremist Azov Battalion, expose the threat of a wider war that finally erupts like a volcano with Crimea, and now with Ukraine.
No matter political analyses the fact of having displaced people to Russia in large numbers evidence the cruel reality lived by their citizens in more than a decade.
It was foreseeable that a war was coming and a violent response was expected. Only an empathetic international community, and global political leaders that think creatively and compassionately, along with institutions and alliances committed to peace may stop it. The agreement Partnership for Peace (PfP 1994*) with NATO and non-members is the kind of creative instrument to build peace and is imperative to become facilitators. Russia is part of it along with other former Soviet Union countries.
A NATO expansion was on the table, instead of negotiation and Diplomacy which is why this powerful agreement became a “dead letter”.
Europe is deciding to support the war “as long as it takes” however without considering that Ukraine has decided not to negotiate because of a determined political agenda against Russia and furthering by more than a decade by Azov violent Neo-nazi action reported by top recognized Media outlets (like the Guardian, BBC, etc.). The capacity to support this war is limited and turns to become contradictory to keep the spirit and philosophy of Europe as a peacemaker.
CONCLUSION
Several elements are determined to conclude that the goal of getting into a global political-culture homogenization is not delivering results:
- Macro alliances like NATO- EU
- Unresolved regional conflicts (Gaza, Ukraine-Russia, etc.)
- Global Economic power at stake
- A wrong idea of a global political leadership
By definition CULTURE “is a way of life of a group of people–the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next” Is it precisely the capacity to accept war “without thinking about them”, about solutions and reasons to get into war that makes the global community believe in the need to be in war, rather than negotiate an agreement. If the global political-culture would be around peace, instead of war, the conflict would not take 3 years. Is precisely the global military action that is delivering a mistaken idea of how to proceed, out of historical context, and certainly with no intention to reduce tensions with Russia.
The same as in the stock market culture business, the suspicion and demonization of Russia is successfully -and sadly- building a “threat” for the whole of Europe, when is it only about a regional conflict from countries that were not even part of Europe. Is it here that we perceive the real threat, when there are provocations instead of dialogue, attacks instead of negotiations, and the development of an arms industry, instead of putting pressure on Ukraine to settle their differences and get to a solution, even if it supposes going against the current agenda.
Advancing a global agenda without considering cultural issues at the local, historical, and political level, or what is more, imposing rules on how to engage externally, are all elements that do not help to settle the confrontation.
The capacity to be neutral is the key driver to building peace. Is indeed, a matter of cultural issues that are truly challenging to interpret by foreign “authorities” like NATO or the European Commission.
The idea from the European Union that Russia is a “threat” is only based on the steady construction of that “threat” with no intention of negotiation or simply to look back, and explore the relationship between Europe- and Russia, which was based on conciliation, and some influence in the historical- regional conflict between Russia and the former-Soviet region. The escalation comes also because of the Europe- NATO alliance that is doing precisely what for decades was made clear by Russia: expansion to Russian borders.
If the idea is to eliminate a competitor in the geopolitical map and increase the power by military alliances to build a center of power, then the strategy is correct, instead, the idea is to end the war and bring peace, attending Putin´s demands along with Russian citizens in the region, then is an imperative to stop the war. Therefore Ukraine´s ambitious goal to retake Crimea -is the only logics that justify a no settlement of the conflict after 3 years.
Feeding the conflict as Europe currently does gives contradictory signs about genuine intentions towards a strategy in peace-building, that after Crimea was about peace-keeping.
There is no better way to end an armed conflict than to listen to each side and analyze -at least- the past decade before the outbreak of the hostilities.
Let´s build peace at any price, not war “as long as it takes” …
Mar Introini. “Ukraine-Russia war: when being anti-war is not a popular position”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68692195
https://www.politico.eu/article/vladimir-putin-attacking-nato-complete-nonsense
https://www.ifrc.org/article/displaced-people-eastern-ukraines-new-life-russia
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/es/speech_24_1032
https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Partnership_for_Peace
ª Far rights groups in Ukraine
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/10/azov-far-right-fighters-ukraine-neo-nazis
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