Ukraine, Russia and the West

In an age of Reason, the cause of humanity calls for peace, freedom and respect for human dignity. In a hybrid geo-political culture – part human, part vulture – we are witnessing a forgotten wisdom of human courage and foresight to stand for the protection of human rights, state sovereignty and national freedom as we continue to see a catastrophic evolving crisis in Ukraine. The man-made, emerging war against the innocent people has no place in an inexplicable antiquity and immense scale of irrational purpose for individualistic glory — all appear to be covered in mystery and unfolding irrational policy behaviour in global affairs. To ensure and safeguard the vital geo-political interests of global mankind, this unwarranted war must stop. Leaders on both sides of the aisle need to acquire an enlightened understanding that for crisis management, effective leaders do not rush to hasty, reactionary judgements and naïve conclusions of belligerency and warmongering.

Rational leaders think of people, not egoism
A reflective snapshot of a critical moment in time pulse and movement of history reveals the absence of reasoned dialogue for the prevention of the ongoing conflict causing massive human casualties, displacement of millions of Ukrainian refugees across Europe, destruction of essential civic infrastructures and furious competitive edge for success in an ugly conflict between Ukraine [and the Western world] and Russia. The latest being an attack on the biggest European nuclear establishment in Ukraine. Its consequences could lead to catastrophic disruption that can wipe out an entire population and progress of human civilization, simply to satisfy the few sadistic political minds. To glance ahead of the horrifying events coming out of Ukraine, We the People of global humanity must call for immediate halt to all war machines and lingering suspicion of one-sided peace and triumph. The sudden and inexplicable plunge into insanity of hostilities will not produce any military or psychological gains for violent assumptions plagued with hatred, bias and false claims and counter-claims of military superiority, defeats and occupation.

There are wild and inhuman scenes of Ukrainian people’s suffering and forced displacement to neighbouring Poland, Hungary, Moldova and other countries. We the People of the globe enjoin immense bonds of understanding for equal rights, friendship and freedom and respect for national integrity of all people and states within the world system of political affairs. Regardless of geography and history, we are One Humanity, and pain inflicted on any part(s) of the human body gives pain and anguish to the whole body. We the People cannot be detached from what is happening between Russia and Ukraine, Nato and Europe. We must emphasize and enhance our moral and spiritual bonds to remain connected in solidarity of the suffering masses and refocus on peace and ending the conflict through reason and dialogue. There is no reason to opt for ruthless purging of a democratically-elected leader or political governance in Ukraine or Russia or elsewhere in Europe. We the People of global consciousness must reject politically indoctrinated cynicism becoming an endemic to change the political governance in Ukraine by violent actions of military actions and unwanted chaos. If Ukrainian and Russian political elites could face each at a table and pursue the urgent need for a reasoned dialogue to cure the sickness of military triumph, it will be a welcome, evolutionary development to foresee the end of the current conflict.

America, Russia and Nato failed to learn from history
Human progress and future-making are jeopardized when lessons of history are deliberately misinterpreted and even ignored by the so-called intelligent people. If war is the only avenue to seek peace, we are on the wrong side of history as well as thinking of our future. There are fearsome and ferocious flows of blame game as is often done in conflict-making and conflict-keeping situations. Nato and the United States are implying extensive financial and other sanctions against Russia to halt the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. The action and reaction gamble will result in unthinkable economic, social and political consequences for Russia and the United States and the EU, as well as others on this planet. Most rational analysts would agree that sanctions would not deter Russia from its stated aims and priorities for the current conflict. Russia appears to be as competent and viable, militarily and politically, as is the United States or the EU and Nato in their pursuit of political strategies and goals. The conflict envisages mutual suspicion and distrust in official policies and behaviours across the board. To a perceptive eye, this is the real reasoning for the crisis in Ukraine. It reflects a treacherous mindset to imagine that any one country is powerful enough to dominate another sovereign entity.

Is Nato being managed by people who lived in the distant past? Is post-WW2 historic culture is still alive and flourishing? Is there any ray of hope for change and new reasoned relationships between the United States, Russia and the West Europeans? The future of violence and nationalistic resentment looks embedded into the distorted strategic necessities of the current affairs, be it the argument of Russia or America-led Nato and/or the EU on its own. Nato is run by the wrong people, glued to wrong thinking and doing the wrong things without any rational sense of time, people’s interest and history.

The waking consciousness and wisdom would demand that Russia, the United States, Nato and the EU – all active actors in this perplexed game – critically analyze their strengths and weaknesses, their aims for freedom and respect for state sovereignty, know who they are and where they are and that global humanity is watching them if they will act wisely for peace or demonstrate abhorrent and ruthless behaviour in ensuring a peaceful resolution of the current naive aims of disastrous consequences for all the living mankind.

Global news media represent the pains and sufferings of Ukrainian masses that have been forcibly evicted from their homes and towns, and are moving to seek asylum across Eastern Europe. There could be few millions on the move without knowing any safe place or destination or hope for safety. It is a self-evident, unambiguous experience of human aggressive connotation by the few against the many and all — as it happened during the Second World War. Should Russia, the United States and the EU not learn lesson from the formative and living history?

The unreal embodiment of good intentions and piety, shown by all in this crisis, reminds us all that we are not inhabitants of a rational 21st-century, knowledge-based, civilized world. Perhaps, we are living in a dangerous world of our own making — not differentiating between the evil and the virtue in human thoughts and behaviours. It is fast becoming clear that Nato and the EU failed to grasp the reality of the current conflict and appear unable to help Ukraine for its right to a be free member of global political systems of states.

Russia and its leaders must realize the humane urgency to agree for an immediate ceasefire and try to resolve the issues through peaceful dialogue, and certainly not by conquest of Ukraine. Any violations of mutual relationship will have volcanic consequences to dehumanize the Russian civic principles and values. When noble ideals are misinterpreted, it could drain out all the good qualities of people and leaders. Political reasoning is a shared enterprise within the global systems of governance to which America, Russia and Nato failed to observe. The sanctity of peace and values of human life will encompass open-mindedness and readiness to listen to and learn from each other’s concerns and experience for peace, harmony and viable neighbourly relationships.

What if President Putin, President Biden and the EU leaders would meet in person and hold dialogue for peace-making and conflict-resolution? The violent assumptions of Nato outreach to Eastern Europe and outrageous hypothesis of military confrontations will lead nowhere — certainly not to peace-making or conflict resolution. Who could gain in these mindless and extravagant ideas of power and military warfare? Certainly, None! Rationality dictates objective reasons for the good of people, societies and nations. The sudden plunge to cataclysmic destruction of human societies and civilizations by the few is a misleading notion no matter how powerful they claim it to be.

The equality of human beings and state sovereignty synthesizes an equal consideration and treatment of all involved in this warfare. The global awakening of human soul and consciousness demands an immediate ceasefire and return to face-to-face negation among Russia, Ukraine, Nato and the EU. If they reject, surely, a debacle could swept unthinkable catastrophic consequences and ends for all on this planet.

Isn’t it true that intelligent leaders and people always readily accept reasoned advice?

Dr Mahboob A. Khawaja specializes in international affairs-global security, peace and conflict resolution with keen interests in Islamic-Western comparative cultures and civilizations. He is an author of several publications including the latest: One Humanity and the Remaking of Global Peace, Security and Conflict Resolution. Lambert Academic Publications, Germany.