Again the same polarizations, tensions, provocations and pre-war situations. The conflict in Syria has not been resolved and the echoes from Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, are still sounding. But the insatiable war machine needs even more feeding – this time in another strategic area for those playing geopolitics: the Ukraine.
Rafael de la Rubia – Activist of “World without wars and without violence”
It is more of the same. Clash of interests of powerful groups taking strategic positions, economic expansion and access to distribution channels of energy sources such as Russian gas. But above all, delimitation of areas of economic influence of two forms of capitalism: the Western and the new Russian capitalism. The hard problem is, any clash can lead to a conflict that escapes from those grasping hands and set fires in other countries, all within the framework of the general crisis in which we live today.
Russia has experienced an apparent economic bonanza in recent times but its racy capitalism is barely 20 years old, and already it is showing signs of exhaustion and crisis. Not only economically, but also in the lack of democracy and tolerance that our complex society today demands. The detention of Pussy Riot, young people who exposed abuses of power; the persecution of minorities such as gypsies and homosexuals; the difficulties of integration of ethnic groups in Chechnya and the Caucasus; and the increase of excessive nationalism all these are seen today. If the impoverishment of broad layers of the population, the reduction of pensions, the dismantling of public services, squeezed health and education programmes, and the like are added together the usefulness of a decoy away from these domestic issues to some external conflict looms as a solution to government – thus we see a strong Russia projected, with authoritarian values and an army as the great bulwark and bonding agent of the system.
At the other side is the European mercantilism, the conservative yet expansionist zeal, which comes tempting those sectors that are more anti-Russian aiming at incorporating Ukraine into the EU club. On this issue the United States of America encourages Germany, France and England, saying that Ukraine joining the EU would weaken the influence of Russia in the region and, above all, NATO could blow the whiskers off the Russian Bear! Clearly this is something unacceptable to Putin.
In the midst of this scenario is the Ukrainian people, impoverished, lacking in democracy, immersed in a crisis both political and institutional and with one of the most corrupt governments in the world where the power is disputed between the pro-Russian old school and the new political force which operates in either case as repressive and violent clans promoting authoritarian and oligarchic ways. Things get complicated in Crimea, as it is in the eastern part, pro-Russian, with its highly strategic Russian navy on the Black Sea.
The shots are called by Ukrainian ultra-nationalists that the Russian ultra-nationalists oppose and together they form a breeding ground for violent groups of extreme tendencies.
We have already seen how the young and peaceful citizens of Kiev with their minimum of human rights were pitted against the brutal repression of the deposed government and then the right-wing formations and ultra-nationalists arrived, that in the end took greater prominence and influence in the new government.
The only consistent way out of this situation is a peaceful and non-violent struggle by the citizenship and to put a stop to any encouragement of military escalation of those violent groups and the government. A vacuum is needed and the establishment of cooperation without any kind of violence, because in this way people can solve their problems. On the contrary, with war, it is the everyday life of the citizens that will be severely disrupted and compromised.
A national vacuum and an international vacuum to suck those men of violence from both sides, disallowing death and disaster, their ‘fellow travellers’.
The big problem is the background of those international relations, a lingering product of World War II. That disaster deposited a hegemonic situation for the U.S.A. over nearly 70 years, from 1945 until today. At this time when its decline as the main world power is ever more evident, the instinctual reactions of the most radical sectors of the American military-industrial apparatus that are committed to a major conflict with the aim to return the U.S.A. to its previous position of world hegemony, is massively evident.
The planet needs to move towards worldization, having tasted globalization. Globalization implies that a world is led by a single culture of a single sphere, but that is found lacking and not viable in our complex world of different cultures. Other places and regions of the world want to participate in a common construction. For example, it is clear that Asia has much to say, with China and India as global economic powerhouses, and also Europe with the EU and Eurasia, then Russia and its partners. But also Africa and Latin America will find their space worldwide. All this is good for the citizens of the world and for the common future.
It is evident and there is no doubt that the old regressive forces are working to confront, violate and ferment conflicts, either completely fictitious or exacerbating real issues, as means enabling them to continue in positions of importance, like some kind of hub for others to circulate around. What we are finding is that this apparent power, without our support, does not work! That is, we the citizens, we are the engine that maintains and gives power to our leaders.
We believe that it is now our responsibility to not support or report and even to disown those rulers who channel dark ways to the abyss for its citizens by promoting confrontations and wars.
Yes, the responsibility lies with us!
