The news that the Polish military shot down some drones belonging to Russia that flew over its territory should give every discerning individual genuine cause for concern.
Without doubt, Poland has the right to protect its territorial integrity and do what it did in response to a perceived violation of its airspace occasioned by the seeming Russian aggression against its Soviet-era ally.
The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, had previously described the collapse of the Soviet empire as the greatest catastrophe of the 20th century. It may sound speculative that he wishes to rebuild that empire with the invasion of Ukraine as the first step in that bizarre drive. The plan also includes weakening those now independent states and installing puppet leaders loyal to Moscow.
In the opinion of the Russian leader, what is going on in Ukraine is not a war. He calls it a special military operation to bring Ukrainians back into the Russian fold. In his estimation, Ukrainians are Russians.
As a newspaper, we believe that Putin is entitled to his daydreams, provided they do not lead the world into a situation worse than what is going on in Ukraine.
This newspaper’s apprehension in this regard is fueled by reports that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) scrambled its fleet and actually participated in the shooting down of those Russian drones in response to what is a sad development. Poland is a strategic member of that alliance, which, as a policy, views an attack on a member country as an attack on all other members, including the United States of America (USA). That reaction may not be enough for what international affairs analysts consider a deliberate provocation by Russia. And that’s where the worry we feel resides. What if Russia decides to go beyond using drones? That is the question no one is comfortable asking.
We recall that World War II began with Hitler’s Germany’s invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939. At that time, the world stood askance as the Third Reich ravaged Poland and then started knocking on the doors of London and Paris. Even then, it took the attack on Pearl Harbour, America’s Naval base at Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, by Japan for the United States to go beyond convoying, which consisted of groups of ships travelling together for mutual protection. They were escorted by naval vessels and aircraft to defend against German U-boats and surface raiders. The convoys helped ensure the safe passage of vital supplies and troops across the Atlantic Ocean. That tragedy at Pearl Harbour eventually led the USA to become actively involved in the conflict.
The mood in the US now, with Donald Trump’s America First policy, is a source of concern to countries sharing borders with Russia. Whether America would stand up for them in a moment of crisis, NATO membership or not, is difficult to decipher at this time. Considering China’s recent show at a massive military parade, suffice it to say that what the world needs now is not a rabid display of power and might by the superpowers.
Already, Russia, China, and North Korea are angling for a new world order aimed at eliminating what they consider outdated security models defined by Western countries. In response to that mindset, Trump is beginning to nurse a feeling of conspiracy against the United States by those countries, further heightening the fear that someone in a bad mood may inadvertently push the wrong button.
The emerging escalation of geopolitical confrontation becomes scarier with the fact that the world powers are increasing their defence budgets and beefing up their arsenal with weapons of mass destruction that were not available during World War II. The danger is that the possibility of engaging them in warfare is real.
We are persuaded to appeal to Russia to accept that the Soviet empire, which ruled with the Marxist-Leninist ideology, cannot be rebuilt without a significant and unacceptable destruction of international systems and structures.
In the same vein, it is pertinent to admonish the Western powers to rein in their expansionist tendencies that made Russia feel threatened and which instigated the madness in Ukraine that is threatening to wipe out what that country represents, a nation of peace that willingly handed over its nuclear facilities to Russia. Ukraine feels betrayed that the promises of security guarantees have turned forlorn.
China’s emergence as an economic giant, which it combines with military adventurism, is, in our opinion, a dangerous addition to a world already on edge.
This newspaper believes the world urgently and desperately needs leaders like John Kennedy and Nikita Khruschev. The Cuban Missile Crisis promised Armageddon, but the cool-headedness of these two leaders diffused a ticking time bomb and saved humanity.
Unfortunately, the leaders in the United States, Russia and China are ego-driven and immeasurably irascible. For them, force is the only acceptable language. They owe themselves a duty to give diplomacy a chance.
