By: Phillip Bafana Phalane
It has been a year since the Russian troops invaded Ukraine, it is a war that has been brewing for years. The signs of this war were clear but ignored by the parties involved, some of the notable ones involved are NATO, the EU, US, Russia, and Ukraine. It is a war of territory and security.
Throughout this conflict a plethora of information has been spreading around the world, The US has been leading a crusade against Russia with a message that says, Russia should be punished for aggression against Ukraine. All the western media outlets are in unison on the matter, Russia and President Vladimir Putin must be punished.
However, there are several inconsistencies in how the global powers have handled the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The US president has been announcing sanction after sanction against Russia; his efforts to turn the world against Russia have somehow made him appear desperate.
The warrant of arrest pronouncement by the International Criminal Court has sparked a global debate and many political analysts have asked for consistency because there are countries that have committed worse crimes and have taken countless lives. The US has committed war crimes more than any other nation in recent history.
The former US presidents are yet to receive their fair share of criticism from the ICC. The ICC is still mum on the atrocities committed by the US in the entire Middle Eastern region. According to some experts, the US’s illegal invasion of the Middle East has led to 1 million deaths in the region. The war has destabilized the region, the economy has not recovered since the start of the war in 2001, the terrorists have taken control of different parts of the region, peace is far from being attained.
The ICC is yet to make a stern reproach against the US for the countless war crimes they have committed to name a few, Afghanistan, Iraq, Haiti, and many others have suffered terror from the US. The US global domination is on a decline and so is its unipolar dream. The Russia-Ukraine war has opened our eyes to an inevitable multipolar world, and the West’s efforts to establish a global hegemony are facing an immovable impediment.
China and the US have been on each other’s necks for many years in what has been called the biggest economic war of all time. The competition between these two economic giants shows no signs of ending as they both seek to rise against one another. The anti-US sentiments by some leaders in the Communist Party of China are an indication of the hostile relationship between these two countries.
Xi Jinping’s 9recent) visit to Russia has sparked uncertainty in the West; this visit takes place after the release of the ICC’s warrant of arrest on Putin. The diplomatic cordiality between these global powers poses a great threat to the West. These countries combined are a profound force that can certainly challenge the Western unipolar. The purpose of Xi Jinping’s three-day trip was to sign an agreement with Vladimir Putin of Russia to re-establish their “no limits partnership”. This partnership was labelled a “new era” of cooperation. The two leaders also called for responsible dialogue to resolve the crisis in Ukraine. Putin said, “all agreements have been reached” and economic friendship between Moscow and Beijing was a priority for Russia.
Putin said recently in a TV interview in Moscow “The struggle for a multipolar world, where everyone’s interests in the international arena are respected, would prevail”. Putin also said that he was not against changes in the world including reform of the United Nations, but Moscow was against the new world order being built only to serve the interests of one country, namely the US.
The Russian leaders repetitively called for a multipolar world that will respect everyone and condemn the US efforts towards attaining global hegemony. During his visit to Russia president Xi Jinping echoed Putin’s multipolar sentiments, and said China will work with Russia to uphold true multilateralism, promote a multipolar and greater democracy in international relations, and help make global governance more just and equitable. During the visit, Xi reiterated his position on peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, this was part of the 12-point document that was released earlier by Beijing.
This is a pivotal moment in global politics. The two leaders are calling for a multipolar world that will respect emerging powers and where everyone’s interests will be considered. The US and the UK continue to spend billions of dollars supplying weapons to Ukraine while China is facilitating peace talks. This further proves that this war is between Russia and the West, Ukraine is just a battlefield. The US and UK are not interested in peace because they are fighting for themselves not the Ukrainians. The UK PM Rishi Sunak repeatedly says “Ukraine must win” this is a declaration of war against Russia through Ukraine. They do not care about the citizens of Ukraine they are interested in re-establishing their dwindling global control. Multipolar is here, this could be the beginning of a decline of Europe and the United States as the global superpowers.
*Phillip Bafana Phalane is a governance practitioner, teacher on climate change, and pastor at the 7th Day Adventist Church.