My last post focus was on Ukraine; this time I’d like to consider war itself, which we have seen unveil itself on our doorstep in Europe. It can be defined as a state or period of armed hostility or active military operations between two or more countries or groups.
I heard someone say that Russia does not have the right to invade Ukraine, a sovereign state. True, but when that right is assumed, what then? There is evidence that Russia has already been using white phosphorus munitions in civilian areas as well as using cluster bombs – both classified as illegal. There are rules of engagement which establish the circumstances under which the military forces should operate, a combat code of behaviour, if you will. Failure to observe those rules and act beyond the established bounds can lead to conviction of war crimes. To me this sounds quite a paradox. I mean, we can’t expect at the onset, representatives from both sides to meet and agree to follow the rules as football players showing respect to the referee before they engage with the opposing team. War is not like that – it is in itself a crime.
We talk of the theatre of war –
the geographic area involved in the conflict – and since the Gulf War with the
significant role played by the social media in relaying front-line news
coverage, there has been a kind of ghoulish interest in watching bloodshed from
the comfort of your living room settee.
War mongering – encouraging aggression – reminds
me of ironmonger which relates to the production and selling of ironware,
so maybe they are quite strongly semantically linked. Waging war seems
to be associated with payment and the dogs of war, the mercenary
soldiers, who engage in warfare solely for profit, are not held in the
highest regard. So why do non-mercenaries participate in warfare? Often the
reason may not be absolutely clear-cut. I likened the ‘Irish Problem’, one that
was ongoing from the reign of Queen Victoria, to a huge pot of soup that had
been simmering continually and was no longer a clear broth whose key
constituents could no longer readily be discerned.
The most common reasons for resorting to
strife are:
·
Economic
gain
·
Territorial
gain
·
Religion
·
Nationalism
·
Political:
civil or revolutionary
·
Defence
In a nut shell, it is usually a
question of interest at different levels:
·
Personal
- self-interest, egotism
·
National
- acquisition, expansionism
·
Global
- Cold war East vs West, balance of power
Putin’s motives appear to be of a personal nature - a strong ego lies behind all this. The vastness of his negotiating table – here he and President Macron are talking Ukraine – shows how significant he needs to show he is.
But he is also clearly goading global powers
to strengthen his national standing. Talking of a possible ‘accident’ at Chernobyl
nuclear power station is a clear example of that.
Someone once said, “A little warfare in the
border areas is needed to maintain a patriotic spirit” and that is, in part,
Putin’s game plan.
Jorg Himmelreich, an academic in Paris, reckons
that a stable democracy in Ukraine is a real threat to what he calls Putin’s
‘kleptocratic dictatorship’. The country is rich in desirable resources, which
is also a relevant, desirable factor.
People try to makes things slightly more bearable: below the Italians have expressed their contempt by doctoring a Gillette advertisement.
But the cost of this bloodshed is tragic in dimension. Just consider the human side of things. Mothers were sending their children to school with name tags, along with information as to what blood group they belonged to. The implications of that don’t bear thinking about. You see families leave with family pets tucked into rucksacks – just so endearing! People arriving at refugee centers without food or water and with no changes of clothing in freezing conditions, so desperate was their need to escape. Who dares to say that all is fair in war?
For me
what is indelible in my mind’s eye is the You Tube clip of a distraught little
being trudging along on his own, carrying a favourite toy in a plastic bag,
sobbing his little heart out, without understanding what is happening. Just
imagine his sense of hunger, cold, fear.
Aware of this hostile environment whose sights, sounds, smells and
sensations will be eternally etched on that child’s mind! And how many more are
there like him?
Below I
have copied a link which should lead you to the clip that allows us to share a
few steps in this tragic trip. I understand he arrived safely with his mother
in Poland’s Medyka.
If this does not open, I’m adding a
recent work by the artist Uta Kaxniashvili which develops the theme and
is just as heart-breaking as the video clip.
May peace be restored as soon as possible, one
way or another!
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