Humanitarian crisis is growing by the minutes. Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and other boarder nations around Ukraine, are feeling the weight of Putin’s aggression against the peaceful people of an independent Ukraine. Nations across other continents, are making contingency plans to have their citizens evacuated to safety, while at the same time, the local economies are taking some serious beating from the fall out of the war. Educational programs, especially for foreign students, are being unnecessarily disrupted. Economic activities are halted and in many cases destroyed. Critical infrastructures are reduced to rubbles. Sadly, families are left to nurse the pains of losing loved ones and with the daily threat of losing even far more. Hospitals are not spared in the spate of reckless bombing. Children hospitals have been mindlessly targeted with several deaths. This is the ugly summary of the Russian war in Ukraine.
Before Vladimir Putin, the world had had the experience of several hot heads in power in several places. There was an Adolf Hitler. He was crazy in his own special way. Africa produced a certain Idi Amin Dada. His brand of madness was largely influenced by his poor education. Non the less, he was crazy. Not too long ago, the Americans unleashed a certain Donald Trump on the world. It was sheer providence that, he did not ignite a global war. But, he caused a lot of anxieties domestically. Also, the Iranians in a not too distant past, let loose a certain Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. A hot head by any standard. With the slightest of provocations, this guy could have triggered a nuclear weapon if he had one, but, the world survived him. Many thanks to Barack Obama for his skilful diplomacy. Another remarkable hothead, that the global community must be careful with, is the North Korean president, Kim jong-un. It beats so many international political observers how this guy and Donald Trump were able to relate as leaders before the fall of Trump. Even at that, he remains a guy that, the world must keep a close watch on. We can go on and on, but, for the sake of the suffering people of Ukraine, lets focus on Putin.
Putin has been in and around the corridors of power in Russia, for about two decades. He was at some point a Prime Minister under Dmitry Medvedev. Preceeding his political adventure, he was an operative with the Russian KGB. Being a successful spy for the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republic USSR, must have equipped him for the tough guy that he is today. Yes, tough to the extent that, he has no regards for international laws and human lives, especially, those of children and women. It takes only the crazies to act in this manner. The question is, is it appropriate for the global community to sit back and watch Ukraine completely destroyed by a lunatic? For crying out loud, Ukraine is a sovereign nation. It is within its right to align with whichever nation or organization it wishes to. If Putin Feels threatened or pained by Ukraine’s plans to be part of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the reasonable option in my opinion, is for Russia to open doors of friendships to NATO countries. Accept it or not, the world would be a better place, if nations collaborate more, than disagree. The implication is that, in collaboration, war takes the back stage. Armament is de-emphasized and a more peaceful world would be the outcome.
Meanwhile, in the interim, the Russian aggression in Ukraine needs to be stopped. The United States of America doesn’t need to engage Russia in an unproductive verbiage or war. That is what Putin wants. Otherwise, why wouldn’t he respect the rights of self determination of an independent Ukraine, irrespective of what they had together in the past? Outside imposition of crushing economic sanctions, the international community, especially the United Nations, must act fast to stem the humanitarian crisis that the war had engendered so far. One way of doing this is to stop Russia from flying freely into Ukraine. No fly zone imposition is the way to go. Shut the skies! Yes, Putin would come with the threat of nuclear weapons. The question that follows is, if he wipes out the entire world, who is he going to lord it over, if at the end of the day he alone survives? From the surface, he paints the picture of a dude who doesn’t care. This is a mere facade. If he doesn’t care, he should be leading from the front right in Ukraine. Why is he in the hiding in Russia following from threat of assassination? He should be in the streets. That’s where you find guys who don’t give a damn about anything. Definitely not in a bunker.
