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THE ongoing standoff between the United States and Russia over Ukraine is reminiscent of the Cold War era and enjoins the international community to exhort the two superpowers to tone down their increasingly bellicose rhetoric to avert a costly nuclear confrontation. For clearly, that is the danger facing the world if the two old foes are allowed to escalate their feud over the former member of the USSR.
On the surface, the Ukrainian crisis appears to be a revolution that has been hijacked by the US and Russia to further their interests in the region but there are far more sinister reasons for the involvement of Washington in a country deep in Europe with no clear connection to Uncle Sam.
The US and the European Union are reportedly behind right wing demonstrators who toppled Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych so that they can have unfettered control over the country. History is replete with examples where the US has flexed its military muscles to protect its geopolitical and economic interests with no regard to international law. Since 2002, US had been in talks with Poland and other European countries over the possibility of setting up a European base to intercept long-range missiles.
Russia threatened to place short-range nuclear missiles on its borders with Nato if the United States refused to abandon its plans to deploy 10 interceptor missiles and a radar in Poland and the Czech Republic. In April 2007, then-President Vladimir Putin warned of a new Cold War if the Americans deployed the shield in Central Europe. Putin also said that Russia was prepared to abandon its obligations under a Nuclear Forces Treaty of 1987 with the United States.
On August 14, 2008, shortly after the 2008 South Ossetia war, the United States and Poland announced a deal to implement the missile defence system in Polish territory, with a tracking system placed in the Czech Republic. The Russians responded by saying such action “cannot go unpunished.”
“The fact that this was signed in a period of very difficult crisis in the relations between Russia and the United States over the situation in Georgia shows that, of course, the missile defence system will be deployed not against Iran but against the strategic potential of Russia,” Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s Nato envoy, said.
A high-ranking Russian military officer had warned Poland that it was exposing itself to attack by accepting a US missile interceptor base on its soil. Against this background, the world should be alarmed at the latest clash between Russia and the US over Ukraine. While Russia could have a legitimate interest in Ukraine because of historical ties and the fact that there is sizeable Russian population in the Crimea region of that country, the US has little connection to the country.
Washington is also not helped by reports that it was actively involved in the installation of a right-wing nationalist regime completely subservient to it in Ukraine with the express intention of provoking Russia. It is believed that the US wants to have a foothold in Ukraine so that the country serves a forward staging post for US and Nato military forces. By meddling in the internal affairs of a country with strong ties to Russia right on Moscow’s doorstep, Washington is thumbing its nose at Putin and risks a catastrophic confrontation. Already, reckless warmongering is dominating talk in America and we hope that the current standoff does not escalate into mortal combat because the world cannot afford a nuclear confrontation that has the potential to mothball into a world war.
In this vein, we applaud efforts by China to cool tempers and avert a full scale military confrontation between the US and Russia. As we reported yesterday, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all parties to remain calm and urged a political solution to the crisis, during telephone calls with President Barrack Obama and Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel.
“The situation in Ukraine is extremely complex and what is most urgent is for all sides to remain calm and exercise restraint to avoid an escalation in tensions,” China’s foreign ministry on Monday cited Xi as telling Obama.
“Political and diplomatic routes must be used to resolve the crisis,” Xi added. We couldn’t agree more.
derick.khumalo