History is replete with instances to show that mankind is infected with self-destructive tendencies and the countless experiences have failed to teach us any lesson on the curse that wars are. Two world wars that killed millions of innocent people were probably not enough to drum sense into the political leaders as they are still willing to mindlessly snuff out lives for inexplicable power games, territorial ambitions and uncontrollable greed. Tragic scenes of miseries inflicted upon ordinary people, including children, which the world has seen over the past few weeks have reaffirmed how brutally the political class is willing to wage a war against humanity. One man – Russian President Vladimir Putin, in this case – can violate the collective conscience of human civilisation and other global leaders remain mute spectators. Some offer tokenism of economic sanctions, others side with the oppressor for petty diplomatic and strategic gains. The world was never so devoid of moral authority as neither America, nor China are in a position to adopt a principled position against such wanton violation of other countries' sovereignty. India, the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru that once upon a time symbolised the voice of conscience in the international community, is tragically helpless today. What a shame that the world is held hostage by one dictator!
Putin, who must stop this vile aggression without a moment’s lapse, has launched this misadventure without any compelling reason. While some believe he was driven by the desperation to shore up his falling popularity in Russia, others suspect he wanted to carve out easy access to the sea which required a pathway through Ukraine. There is another perception that Ukraine’s willingness to join NATO might have forced him to take this drastic step. Whatever, the heinous crime of destroying cities, of murdering innocent people cannot be rationalised. While it is distinctly possible that Putin’s political fortunes will not be revived after this miscalculated invasion of Russia’s neighbour, the world will also pay a heavy price for this war at a time when most of the countries were still reeling under the devastating impact of Covid. The geopolitical ambitions of autocratic leaders cannot override the collective goal of mankind, which at this juncture was to rise above partisan interests for restoring the healthy economies scarred by the pandemic.
Philosophers dreamt of a better, less greedy and less wicked world after the Covid experience, without realising that the human mind is capable of unsettling humane expectations. Good that the American President held his horses as a frontal confrontation of NATO with Russia would have triggered another World War. It does look odd to see that the powerful nations are so helpless before a despot, but the miserable sight is better than the horrors of a world war. To isolate Putin and mount real pressure on Russia may be the best option before the world. The growing unrest in Russia, with millions coming out on the streets to protest the mindless war, may bring additional pressure on Putin to realise his dangerous folly. No matter how much they are ridiculed and provoked, Western powers must exercise restraint and tackle this calamity with cold-blooded strategies. A protracted war, after all, will result in more deaths, more destruction. A massive humanitarian aid should be provided to Ukraine to ease the pain of the people and to rebuild their nation after this madness stops. A massive refugee crisis will create further problems and hence the entire effort should be focused on stopping violence at the earliest. Even China should show the sagacity of prevailing over Russia instead of fishing in troubled waters. After all, China too has a vested interest in disturbing the existing power equations in the world.
The next task is to give more teeth to the United Nations and a collective resolve to put human rights and the sanctity of sovereign nations on top of the global agenda. The way forward is to strengthen the roots of democracy and spread it across the globe. It is not to suggest that democratic nations don’t drift towards such vile tendencies. But it is to underline that the concept of democracy is a recipe for delegitimizing totalitarian regimes. How powerful a leader is matters least to the people. How conscientious the leader is should be the only concern. America has set bad examples in the past despite being a great democracy but worse examples are available to reject other forms of governance. Putin has reinforced this belief and the world must take note of it.
