Dear Editor,
On the eve of the just concluded NATO summit in Türkiye, Mark Rutte, Secretary General of NATO is reported to have said “We are preparing for a war with Russia”.
A month earlier, in June, Finland which borders Russia agreed to allow the import and transit of nuclear weapons on its territory. At this point in time, there is absolutely no doubt that NATO countries are providing military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine to fight Russia.
What is the significance of these statements and developments? Clearly, they signify beyond the shadow of doubt, that the outbreak of a war between Russia and NATO countries whether for offensive or defensive purposes is looming on the horizon.
The line between having ‘the right to defend one’s country’ and having ‘the right to protect one’s sovereignty’ has been blurred in the war between Russia and Ukraine; As support for Ukraine from the West intensifies, the distinction between the EU and NATO is hard to find.
In the fog of its war with Ukraine and the in midst of harsh and undiplomatic exchanges with NATO governments, Russia has declared that it will not sit on its hands and do nothing while European governments openly declare that they are preparing for war with Russia. To achieve this goal, every effort is being made by belligerent forces in Europe to drag the US into a war with Russia just as Israel is working overtime to drag the US into a war with Iran.
With the hope of de-escalating increased tensions between Russia and Europe, Russia declared it is not looking for a war with Europe nor does it have intentions to invade or to occupy territory in Europe, nevertheless, it is prepared to defend itself should a war with Europe becomes unavoidable.
In the wake of increasing tension in the European theatre what is abundantly clear is that the human, material and environmental destruction that will result from the outbreak of a war with drones, hypersonic missiles and weapons of mass destruction on land, air and sea will be unimaginable and unprecedented in human history.
With Russia declaring that it has elevated its Special Military Operation in Ukraine to a full scale war, the prospect of NATO joining openly that war and with it eventual becoming a nuclear war is like a gigantic clock ticking inexorably towards the hour when such a war appears menacingly on the global horizon.
Based on empirical evidence, the peoples of the world do not want wars of any kind.
They prefer jobs, better wages, enhanced social security and an improved standard of living. Reports indicate that there are certain leaders in Europe and North America who, think otherwise, they believe and say that the world will be a better place with a weaker and ultimately, with the total destruction of Russia.
There is a lingering predisposition in some European capitals that a war with Russia by 2030 is unavoidable if not inevitable. This belief is grounded in the outdated, unscientific and mechanistic thinking about waging war in these modern times. Should this view manage to succeed, it is clear that a war between Russia and Europe may result in a nuclear catastrophe affecting not only European cities, town and villages but way beyond Europe’s borders.
It is this kind of thinking that leaves those of us who live in this part of the world wondering how come talk of war has become so commonplace in the narrative of some world leaders that it is now an acceptable inevitability in the practice of international relations.
Western mega-media have managed to tip the balance for reporting the Russia/Ukraine war in favour of Ukraine and NATO. They bury objectivity, and, by highlighting the possibility of war between Russia and Europe ignore reality that the nature of war has changed so drastically that nuclear war is more possible that probable than ever.
A war of such proportions and pregnant with untold ramifications will be the mother of all wars and will either bring an end to all wars or open the possibility of a Third World War
Yours faithfully,
Clement J. Rohee
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs
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