Can the lost territory of a past empire restored today by using military power?
The world is really worried!
Russia committed aggression? What would be the future developments?
Will this be an act of war/s or, what else is this step?
The world is suddenly confronted with a war-like situation to put it mildly. But this could be a start of a dangerous trend in world affairs at this point of time. Readers should see the world map to see the exact geographical location of Crime and the adjacent Ukraine to which Crimea belongs and it is part of the country, rather the integral part of its territory.
Of course, the developments that led to this sudden display of armed force, sending one’s army into another sovereign territory is not done as a matter of routine.
Only those who are familiar with past history, we had had such instances, the most famous or infamous with the sudden occupation by Hitler in the second world war the Czech territory(or what was it called actually?) that triggered the second world war.
Of course what Vladimir Putin, the Russian President who is claso called the paramount leader of Russia for the past 14 years is really worrisome.
Putin’s speech at the Kremlin ceremony to announce the signing of the treaty with the Crimean counterpart that went on for 47 minutes were marked by shouts and slogans calling “Russia, Russia” and patriotic songs and the crowds and the wild endorsement have cal raised great many concerns in all capitals of the world.
Putin is a modern-day leader who signifies so many contradictions.
Russia is also not an easy country for outsiders to fathom its inherent contradictions.
There is Parliament, there are elections, Putin himself was elected President twice, once Premier and now again President.
Outsiders can’t understand whether he presides over a democracy, a Parliamentary democracy in the conventional sense or is it a dictated, guided democracy under an iron rule by parliament or by some other oligarchical crony capitalists(the flavour of the season is state’s controlled by crony capitalists, as also alleged in India).
Anyway, the press is not free in Russia an so too the courts, the most controversial acts in recent times are the jailing of two top rich Russian oligarchs, one released on pardon and another too released for no obvious reasons.
And more than all these things, Russia is a traditional India-friendly ally.
So, we in India have some really critical problems in the days ahead as to how we in India has to deal with the new international crisis with great many unpredictable consequences for world peace.
Though Putin called the Indian PM at the first opportunity to explain his position for what he did as he did by using armed forces to invade the neighbouring country, India has to follow some pro-active policies and principles.
Soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the countries that went away from the former Soviet Union, the ones Georgia and Ukraine and Belarus all faced troubles and at various point Russia intervened.
The case of Ukraine is different. The recent months saw persistent protests and once the former President ran away to seek asylum in Russia, came the new troubles.
Crimea is a Russian language speaking ethnic Russians and then there are also in other areas of Ukraine the Russian speaking ethnic Russians. Now, after the signing of the treaty Russia has sent its army again, this time to take over the Ukraine navy headquarters. This is further provocation. The US and European Union have warned Russia it faces a dark future, a dark path of political and economic isolation. Already the US-EU sanctions have started working. Further sanctions would follow, The G-* countries are to meet and Russia is one member and now its membership would be stripped.
There are reports of armed attacks against m Ukraine military personnel in Crimea, said the UP Vice-President Joe Biden who was negotiating with Russia till the armed intervention became a reality.
Those who know the Russian history and the Second World War know well that the then Soviet Russia annexed the three smaller states of Baltic seas, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. These three smaller and now independent states are now Free states and yet with these latest developments there are fears and that is one reason why the US Vice-President travelled to the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius.
The Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite says that” there is an attempt to redraw borders of the European states and to destroy the post-war architecture of Europe. This is exactly the worry of the entire outside world.
For Europe, historically, was never a stable region, its geography and culture is such that at one time or other there was always trouble either in Germany or in the Balkan states(the former Yugoslavia and the modern day smaller states like Croatia etc)and also in the Baltic sea states. Germany was always considered the big brother, both in the first and the second world wars. We all know how much the rest of the world suffered and humankind put the world behind the times.
So, this time too there is much to worry about and one question is that we now seem to live in much more dangerous times with the rise and spread of terrorism already causing so much misery around the world.
So, we in India specially, have to wake up to the new threat to world peace. This is a new threat and its consequences, unless we wake up, the Indian government under the next leadership is really capable of leading the world towards a safe path, there are a new set of uncertainties that would mark the coming years.
As we write India is caught up in the grip of a new election fever. So, there is not much reporting on this crisis-ridden international event.
But this is a new worry and a new headache whoever comes to power in New Delhi.
New Delhi has a role to play on the international stage. The UN Secretary General, Ban-ki-Moon is flying to Moscow to meet
Putin and also to Kiev. As it looks right now, the future of the world peace is in jeopardy.