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UKRAINE: THE WAR TO SAVE THE U.N. CHARTER AND INTERNATIONAL LAW
To see a list of previous articles, enter “Ukraine” in the Search Box on the upper right, on The Trenchant Observer web site, and you will see a list in chronological order.
Dispatches
1) Marc Semo, “Sur la guerre en Ukraine, les pays du Sud refusent de s’aligner sur la position occidentale; De l’Afrique à l’Asie en passant par l’Amérique latine, le camp des pays qui ne veulent pas choisir entre les Occidentaux et la Russie s’élargit, Le Monde, le 1. juillet 2022;
2) Marc Semo, “On the war in Ukraine, the countries of the South refuse to align themselves with the Western position; From Africa to Asia via Latin America, the camp of countries that do not want to choose between Westerners and Russia is expanding,” (translation on the website) Le Monde, July 01, 2022 (3:30 pm);
3) “Ukraine War, June 28, 2022: American diplomacy fails to win support against Russia among non-allied countries; G-7 leaders disappoint, are reminiscent of leaders in 1930’s facing Nazi threat,” The Trenchant Observer, June 28, 2022;
4) James Rowles, “Letter to Fence-Sitters,” Trenchant Observations, June 23, 2022;
5) “Ukraine War, May 10, 2022 (II): The hard work ahead in the non-allied countries, to get them to joint the anti-Russian coalition,” The Trenchant Observer, May 10, 2022;
6) Joe Parkinson, David Luhnow and Juan Forero, “Russia Alliance Is Missing a Big Bloc: The Developing World; Nations are resisting economic sanctions and voicing criticism over the Ukraine invasion, fearful of political and economic repercussions from Moscow or Beijing,” Wall Street journal, April 14, 2022 (11:41 am ET);
UPDATE
7) Ricard González, “La calle árabe no simpatiza con Ucrania; La mayoría de gobiernos de países musulmanes, incluidos algunos aliados tradicionales de Washington, mantienen una posición ambigua sobre el conflicto,” El apaís, el 17 de agosto 2022 (23:40 EDT);
8) Ricard González, “The Arab street does not sympathize with Ukraine; Most governments of Muslim countries, including some traditional Washington allies, maintain an ambiguous position on the conflict, El País, el 17 de agosto 2022 (11:40 PM EDT
Analysis
Semo provides an update on the failure of the West to enlist the support of “the South” in its condemnation of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and in joining in the enforcement of sanctions against the aggressor.
Rowles (your author, The Observer) issues a clarion call for the West to force these nations to choose sides in what he views as a struggle to defend civilization itself.
This is not a small matter.
This is not a matter where the countries of the South can play the decolonization guilt card. They have had 60 years of independence and time to get their own houses in order. They are participants in the process of governing the planet.
They have also benefitted enormously from the good intentions and generosity of the West, which has invested large sums in their development, has extended huge international loans at concessionary interest rates, and which continues to contribute to their development and welfare.
There is no reason why this benevolence should continue if these countries in the South won’t stand up to defend our civilization and its foundations, the U.N. Charter and international law.
By not joining the West in the defense of our common international legal order, in defense of the international constitution which the U.N. Charter represents, they are undermining the very moral commitments which led to benevolent assistance in the past.
It is time for Western countries, when voting on a World Bank loan, to take into account whether the recipient country is acting to uphold the international legal order upon which the World Bank and all international institutions are based.
A couple of votes against loans to fence-sitting countries could have a very salutary effect.
Moreover, such loans should be but the first of many benefits to be withdrawn from countries which will not act to defend our civilizatiin.
As we have written,
We have a civilization to defend, and it must be fiercely defended also against those who countenance the triumph of evil by looking the other way.
The Trenchant Observer
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See also,
Only force can stop Putin
“Ukraine War, April 5, 2022 (II): Force must be used to stop Putin,” The Trenchant Observer, April 5, 2922 .
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