Friday, March 29, 2024

The UN, NATO and Putin’s Atrocities

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By Henry Kyambalesa

Essentially, this article is designed to provide a commentary relating to the following: (a) the dire consequences of the decision by Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, to willfully invade, as well as annex parts of, Ukraine—a neighboring sovereign nation—in violation of the Principles of the United Nations (UN); (b) the UN’s role in resolving disputes and conflicts between and/or among member-countries; and (c) the primary purpose of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Dire Effects of the Invasion:

Russia’s unprovoked invasion and annexation of parts of Ukraine has caused catastrophic socioeconomic consequences worldwide, among the most obvious of which are the following:

(a) Trauma, the refugee crisis, the human carnage, the destruction of economic infrastructure, and the disruption of socioeconomic activities in Ukraine and beyond;

(b) The disruption of oil supplies from Russia to the rest of the world, and the resulting shortages and high prices of gasoline around the world; and

(c) The disruption of supplies of grain from Ukraine to the rest of the world, and its contribution to famine and high prices of food worldwide.

Role of the United Nations:

The “Principles of the United Nations” stipulated in Article 2 of the multilateral institution’s Charter essentially prohibit member-countries from engaging in activities and/or covert operations against the territorial integrity or political independence of other member-countries.

Specifically, the following Principles stipulated in Article 2 of the UN prohibit member-countries from threatening or, except in self-defense, using force or war against other member-countries in Clauses 3 and 4:

1. The UN is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members.

2. All Members, in order to ensure to all of them the rights and benefits resulting from membership, shall fulfill in good faith the obligations assumed by them in accordance with the present Charter.

3. All Members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered.

4. All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the UN.

5. All Members shall render assistance to the UN in any action it takes in accordance with the present Charter, and shall refrain from giving assistance to any member-country against which the UN is taking preventive or enforcement action.

6. The United Nations shall ensure that states which are not Members of the United Nations act in accordance with these Principles so far as may be necessary for the maintenance of international peace and security.

7. Nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorize the UN to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state or shall require the Members to submit such matters for settlement under the present Charter; but this Principle shall not prejudice the application of enforcement measures under Chapter Vll.

Chapter VII of the UN Charter sets out the institution’s Security Council’s powers to maintain peace. It provides for the Council to “determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression” and to take military and nonmilitary action to “restore international peace and security.”

Chapter VII also gives the Military Staff Committee responsibility for strategic coordination of forces placed at the disposal of the Security Council. It comprises the chiefs-of-staff of the Council’s five permanent member-countries—namely, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

If Vladimir Putin had any genuine issues or problems with Ukraine and/or its leaders, he should have shown some respect for the UN by presenting his or his country’s grievances to the multilateral institution to have the issues or problems resolved.

Unfortunately, he could not suppress his primitive, crude, savage, and evil impulses, and, intoxicated by unfettered political power and backed by docile military officers, he could not guard himself against committing heinous atrocities against Ukrainians in particular, and against humanity in general.

The Purpose of NATO:

NATO was established on August 24, 1949. Its purpose is to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means, including the promotion of democratic values and ensuring that members consult and cooperate on defense and security-related issues to solve problems, build trust and, in the long run, prevent conflict.

According to the Organization’s collective defense clause stipulated in Article 5, an armed attack against one member-country would be considered an attack against them all and, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defense recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the UN, would individually and in concert with other member-countries take such action as it would be deemed necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of an affected member-country.

The following are NATO’s current member-countries: Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States.

In conclusion, there is a need for each and every country’s executive president or prime minister to possess leadership qualities that all national political leaders worldwide need to have in their arsenal of aptitudes.

Such qualities include emotional stability, humility, patriotism, selflessness, impartiality, patience, compassion, tolerance, diligence, respect for both national and international laws, ability to think of one’s leadership position as a temporary mandate to serve the people, ability to conceive of oneself as just another mortal with limited knowledge and aptitudes, ability to make compromises with people who have dissenting views, and an inclination to work hand in hand and hand in glove with other countries’ leaders in addressing pressing global issues and challenges.

16 COMMENTS

  1. Member, Azwel Banda and Lubinda Haabazoka feel that Putin was justified to invade another sovereign nation because Russia was ” provoked”.
    Thanks for this article.

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    • Biased article: Russia wasnt right to invade Ukraine but the war hasnt been unprovoked and NATO had a huge role in the provocation. NATO is right now heavily monitoring Russia’s armoury and army so they can formally declare war on Russia. The US has been ready with war manouvres but the West do know that China could join and this World War may not have a victor.

  2. NATO’s continued appetite for expansion, even to Russia’s doorsteps, is the root cause of the conflict.

    If NATO had disbanded when the Warsaw Pact ended, this war would never have happened. But the warmongering NATO appears all set to plunge the world into another world war. Even the illegal creation of Bosnia Herzegovina was NATO’s brainchild.

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    • Iwe, you still seems NOT to get it.
      How many times have you been provoked in life? Are you telling us you have not been provoked by young ladies wearing miniskirts, did you revote to raping those girls who provoked you? Did you revote to commiting adultery? Come on, get real, clearly you DONT understand PUTIN`s thinking. NOT even Kim Jong-Eun. ever thought of invading South Korea? The destruction that has been caused to Ukraine and Global economy, has NO justification whatsoever. Each country is a sovereign state that can decide where they BELONG. NATO is not invading the Countries, Its the countries applying to be members of NATO. Neutral countries that NEVER WANTED to join NATO, because of Putin stu.pidity, have decided to Join NATO, how do you explain that?

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  3. The west and the USA in particular have been pushing ukrain to provoke Russia for fear of Russian dominance of Europe
    because of the Russian vast wealth of oil and gas…………

    Before the invasion the USA was alarmed and started engineering the collapse of the NORD STREAM gas pipe lines from Russia to Europe which was earning Russia $30 billion per month……

    Had this Russian energy supply continued for 1 more year, Russia would have been the wealthiest nation in Europe……..

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  4. The author suffers from severe diarrhoea of the mouth just like those two lying psychos, Simon mwewa and kondwani the old looking youth advocate. The boy looks about 60.

    We in pf have always been clear that we support Russias special operation in Ukraine. What has Ukraine or nato ever done for you f00Is? Ukrainians were treating African students there like dogs. Putin kill them!

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    • An Innocent Zambian life was lost on Russian side for Stu,pid Ukraine war enginnered by a Fu.ul called Putin.
      No African students were killed, although Ukrainians were prioritized over African students. In the end all were evacuated.
      What was the root cause? The so-called “Russias special operation in Ukraine”. ONLY a f.uul would still have the guts to continue supporting PUTIN.

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  5. Since NATO is the one fighting Russia and the UN is a puppet of the NATO , forget all the clauses, it’s just an empty shell serving no purpose.

  6. @general kanene, America was on the verge of invading Cuba during the missile crisis. But the same America has strategic nuclear weapons stationed in Poland and facing Russia, and NATO planned to move them closer into Ukraine.

    Is that not a provocation of war; what say you?

    • That is a BIG LIE right there suggesting that ” strategic nuclear weapons stationed in Poland and facing Russia “. Propaganda that Russia has made you believe !!!! What is stationed in Poland are PATRIOT. and those are ANTI-MISSILES equipment. which even Israel has got.
      They are intended to defend the countries by blowing up missiles before the land onto the country. The reasons. the countries join NATO is NOT to threaten Russia, but simply they feel safer with NATO. NATO says “AN ATTACK on ONE OF ITS MEMBER COUNTRY IS AN ATTACK ON ALL”, therefore this makes the countries feel safer. NATO does NOT force itself on Countries, its individual countries that apply to be Members. ITS a SOVEREIGN DECISION, even Russia can apply to be Member. Dont Support a BULLY…PUTIN

  7. Russia’s unprovoked invasion and annexation of parts of Ukraine has caused catastrophic socioeconomic consequences worldwide, among the most obvious of which are the following:

  8. They writer think that way because he is based in the US or European country. We all get it nation should not attack another nation just because they don’t agree with you. However, US and Nato has cause more damage around the globe than Russia.

  9. Russia should just be dismembered and subdivided into 40 or more smaller states.They don’t even make stuff the world needs like Korean Samsung,Japanese Toyota ,USA Boeing planes or German agro-chemicals.

  10. Kaizar Zulu is Patriotic Front’s spokesperson? Zambia became a permanent member of the United Nations on December 1, 1964 and all political parties and citizens who have the interest of our beloved country at heart honour the Principles of the United Nations. We must never support any country or tyrant that disregards these Principles. Putin has always been against the dissolution of the USSR, and one of his objectives can be assumed to be the expansion of the Russian empire starting with his country’s neighbouring country, Ukraine. Only NATO stands in way. Kaizar Zulu would probably be interested in having Zambia annexed by Putin’s army.

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