Nicholas Ourusoff spent several semesters teaching in Russia and Kazakhstan beginning in 1990. He lives in New London.
In an end-of-year poll, WIN and Gallup International surveyed more than 66,000 people across 65 nations and found that 24% of respondents answered that the United States “is the greatest threat to peace in the world today.” Pakistan and China were next with 8% and 6%, respectively, while Afghanistan, Iran, Israel and North Korea all tied with 4%.
President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken are promoting a “rule-based world order.” Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese President Xi Jinping have asked, “How is it different from the UN Charter rule-based international law?” The 193 members of the United Nations are all signatories to the UN Charter, widely considered a legal, binding international treaty.
The answer is: The United States is committed to the UN Charter’s rules, but only when it suits; otherwise, the United States acts as if it were above the UN Charter, usurping the UN Charter’s moral authority.
The United Nations was formed in 1945 to end the scourge of war and to ensure peace. The UN Charter recognizes a member’s right to military defense of its territory against aggression by another member, until a cease-fire and peacekeeping can be arranged. Otherwise, the UN Charter is committed to non-violent resolution of conflicts through diplomacy.
It forbids mafia-type bullying — “If you don’t do as me and my friends say, we will beat you up!” Only the United Nations Security Council is authorized to levy sanctions!
The United States has been condemned twice for a “Crime of Aggression” by the UN World Court, for its support of the Contras against Nicaragua in 1986 when it was also ordered to pay reparations (we never did and escalated support for the Contras) and for its invasion of Iraq (2003-2011).
President Biden promised “diplomacy not confrontation.” But unauthorized punitive sanctions, to force an adversary to go “my way or the highway,” is a mainstay of U.S. foreign policy, but is not diplomacy.
We watched Secretary of State Antony Blinken dismiss Russia’s two existential security demands. He simply threatened crippling sanctions if Russia invaded Ukraine. Against the advice of several of our most eminent leaders, we violated Russia’s security by interfering with Russia’s relationship with Ukraine as well as in Ukraine’s internal affairs.
Two strategic partnerships with Ukraine, in 2008 enhanced September 21, 2021, neither reported in our main media, commit U.S. support for enhanced entry of Ukraine into the EU and NATO.
Stop fighting now! Save Ukrainian lives. Escalation risks nuclear conflict. Accept what is, make it better. Focus on recovery, reconciliation and diplomacy, and, the existential threats of climate change and nuclear conflict.