UN Should Work More Actively to Reduce Possibilities of Direct Confrontation Between USA/NATO and Russia
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UN staff continue to play an important and at times life-saving role among many people facing humanitarian crisis. However the role of the UN in maintaining world peace has suffered and has been increasingly marginalized as big powers tend more frequently to take the matters into their own hands.
Nevertheless, the UN remains very important and relevant for any peace initiatives, and one should not and cannot ignore the potentially very significant contribution of the UN in any world peace initiatives.
While there are many conflict zones in the world and many risks to peace, there is wide agreement that the biggest risk to the peace and safety of the world comes from the possibility of any direct confrontation between the USA/NATO and Russia. The two sides have nearly 11000 nuclear weapons as well as other weapons of mass destruction and highly destructive weapons. If in any direct confrontation of the two sides, only 5 to 10% of the nuclear weapons get used, then this would more or less end all life on earth and this would happen in the most painful way imaginable.
Despite the fact that the possibility of a direct confrontation between the USA/Russia and NATO is the biggest danger facing our troubled world, adequate efforts have not been made to reduce this possibility.
In recent years the possibilities of such confrontation have been increasing. Several treaties regarding reduction of nuclear arms threat in various ways have not been renewed or else have broken down. There has been increasing suspicion and hostility between the leadership of two sides. Eastward expansion of NATO has always been a source of escalating tensions.
Matters have come to a head during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and in the prolonged brinkmanship the risks of a direct confrontation between Russia and the USA/NATO have been increasing steadily and have been at a very high level for a prolonged period. This is deeply worrying but there are not many ongoing efforts to reduce these high risks.
Unfortunately the UN has also not been seen to be actively involved in reducing these escalations at various points of important events. As various red lines were being crossed in the relationship of two sides becoming more dangerous, the United Nations could have intervened to prevent the escalation to the extent possible. It could at least have sounded timely warnings in more effective ways.
However not all is lost yet and the UN can still make an important contribution to de-escalation.
In this effort it should seek and obtain the support (which should be readily available) of several senior statesmen, diplomats, academics and other experts and peace activists who have from time to time issued statements regarding the need to reduce these tensions or else through their writings and speeches are known to be very worried about the very high risks and possibilities of direct confrontation between US/NATO and Russia. With their help the UN can organize very important international conferences and also smaller get-togethers from where important statements and warnings can be issued not once but several times to emphasize the need for reducing tensions and risks of direct confrontation between NATO/US and Russia. These statements and warnings should be further used to spread worldwide awareness regarding the world-level very high risks of such confrontation. With the statements released at various conferences distinguished statesman and experts should meet leaders of both sides to demand de-escalation.
All this should continue till some good results are achieved. With the authority as well as the goodwill of the UN behind this, such a campaign is likely to achieve much better results compared to any campaign launched by any other organization.
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Bharat Dogra is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Protecting Earth for Children, Man over Machine, Planet in Peril and A Day in 2071. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.
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