I met my first and only Ukrainian friend 10 years ago when we were both lecturers attending a start-of-semester welcome dinner. Attempting to make conversation on learning her nationality, I asked what Ukraine was known for. The witty reply, delivered in a matter-of-fact tone, was: “Ukraine? Ukraine is known for its beautiful women.”
My friend is now safe in Germany, though a refugee. We have an apt proverb here in Africa to describe what is going on in Ukraine. When elephants fight, the grass gets trampled. It appears that as Ukraine is trampled to smithereens and millions of civilians who had lives, dreams and aspirations become refugees, the best the West and Nato can do is to wash their hands of any responsibility, take the moral high ground and cheer the Ukrainians on from the sidelines.
When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky begged Nato to impose a no-fly zone and provide fighter jets so his men could counter the Russian bombardments, the mighty US and Nato, which declare themselves “on the right side of history”, replied: “So sorry, chaps, can’t do that. But here are some shoulder-fired anti-tank missiles. Oh, by the way, we will stop buying Russian gas ... but only next year, otherwise it will be terribly inconvenient for us, you see.”
When the US raised a “coalition of the willing” against Iraq in 2003, when it invaded Afghanistan on the pretext that the Taliban regime was protecting Osama bin Laden in 2001, the US and Nato were unwavering in their commitment to protecting human rights. When the Arab Spring was in full swing in 2011, the West was quick to persuade the UN Security Council to consent to a no-fly zone over Libyan skies, enforced by Nato to prevent precisely the kind of humanitarian catastrophe that is happening in Ukraine right now.
SA was at the time one of the 10 non-permanent members on the UN Security Council, and we voted for the resolution, demanding an immediate ceasefire and authorising a no-fly zone to protect civilians. Nato promptly took advantage of the no-fly zone and sent in special forces to assist Libyan rebels to overthrow the bothersome Muammar Gaddafi. SA and the AU haven’t forgotten this treachery. SA had voted with the West to impose a no-fly zone to protect civilian lives, not to effect regime change in Libya.
One of main triggers of the current conflict was the 20th Nato summit held in Bucharest, Romania, in 2008, where Croatia and Albania were invited to join Nato. Georgia and Ukraine’s aspirations to join were also welcomed with the declaration that “these countries will become members”. Even then Germany and France were not that keen on the idea for fear of provoking Russia.
But then US president George Bush and Ukrainian president Lech Kaczynski pushed hard and eventually prevailed. Ukraine became a Nato action plan member. The US thus gave Georgia and Ukraine, both former Soviet republics, hope that they would join and enjoy Nato protection but then left them to wait indefinitely.
In pointing this out I am not justifying Vladimir Putin’s aggression towards Ukraine. I am accounting for the West’s responsibilities as well as Putin’s strategic calculations, which appear to have been that the war would be quick. As we now know, his assumption that he could enjoy the benefits of a successful campaign was a grave error. His assessment that the West was divided and would sit on its hands was wrong, and as a result he has put the Russian economy into a spiral to oblivion.
So far, apart from Brazil, the Brics bloc countries have opted not to condemn Russian aggression in the UN General Assembly. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has visited his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, to urge India to take a tougher line against Russia. And the Americans have lectured China not to aid Russia. No world leader has been dispatched to lobby President Cyril Ramaphosa to take a tougher line.
• Dr Kuo, a former lecturer at the Shanghai International Studies University in China, is adjunct senior lecturer in the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business.
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