-Caveat Lector- http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2003/03/21/005.html Friday, Mar. 21, 2003. Page 8
Russia Must Not Stand By and Watch Editorial To Our Readers Has something you've read here startled you? Are you angry, excited, puzzled or pleased? Do you have ideas to improve our coverage? Then please write to us. All we ask is that you include your full name, the name of the city from which you are writing and a contact telephone number in case we need to get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you. Email the Opinion Page Editor By launching the military campaign in Iraq, the United States has assumed responsibility for waging war against a sovereign state without the authorization of the United Nations. This war is illegal if measured by the criteria of the UN Charter, and Russia should mobilize all of its diplomatic and political resources to stop the hostilities and put the Iraqi issue back on the table of the United Nations. While rolling back the mighty American military machine is well-nigh impossible, the UN should at least lead the humanitarian relief effort as it has done many times before. Russia should also ensure that no coalition of the willing gets its hands on some $40 billion reportedly sitting in Iraq's UN accounts. No single nation or coalition but the UN should decide how best to spend this money to ease the sufferings of Iraqi civilians. The existing system of international security will be dealt a heavy blow if Russia and other nations allow the United States to completely sidestep the UN. A new world order may or may not dawn immediately after the defeat of Iraq. But if nations continue to passively watch the degradation of the existing system rather than try to modify it and spell out when and how the need for intervention should prevail over a nation's sovereignty, this world order will be in place sooner or later. This new order will leave nations dependent on the sheer might and mood of a global leviathan rather than protected by internationally accepted laws, which still help to maintain at least some predictability, if not justice, in relations between heavyweights and less powerful nations. But while trying to bring the Iraqi issue back to the UN where it belongs, Russia should not provide material or any other support for either of the warring sides. Neither is fighting a just war and Russia would only postpone the demise of Saddam Hussein and prolong the suffering of the Iraqi people by assisting his regime. Rather than assisting the combatants, Russia should use its experience in tackling emergency humanitarian situations to provide as much relief and aid as possible to Iraqi civilians, who will suffer most in this war. Russia has an Emergency Situations Ministry with a personnel of 300,000, and the Kremlin should arrange with Iraq's neighbors for the deployment of its mobile hospitals and other services along the Iraqi frontier. But while striving to help Iraqi civilians, Russia should also finally provide adequate care to the tens of thousands of its own internal refugees who remain stranded in tent camps and dilapidated buildings in and around Chechnya. President Vladimir Putin was right to condemn the U.S.-led attack, although his words would carry more weight if he had not waited so long to speak out. But now that the game is on, he can use not only Russia's diplomatic resources but the court of world opinion to make his case, just as others have rightfully done over Russia's reprehensible behavior laying waste to one of its own republics. Related Articles Missiles Hit Baghdad, Troops Cross Border (Mar. 21, 2003) Putin Calls the Attack a Big Political Mistake (Mar. 21, 2003) Russians Are Opposed but Few Protest (Mar. 21, 2003) Annan: Use Oil Money For Food (Mar. 21, 2003) FBI Issues a Worldwide Alert for a Saudi National (Mar. 21, 2003) Officials Agree Economy Safe From War Effects (Mar. 21, 2003) Tourism Industry Hit by Military Action (Mar. 21, 2003) Back Email it Next Print Top Email Us © Copyright 2002, The Moscow Times. All Rights Reserved. Forwarded for your information. The text and intent of the article have to stand on their own merits. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. 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