World’s reaction to the war between Russia and Ukraine has revealed some interesting aspects that can be seen as signs of the new emerging world order. Al Jazeera published excellent and very informative article about the way different countries have voted in the UN regarding the war, which countries have sent aid or arms to Ukraine and which countries have imposed sanctions on Russia. (1)
Democracy Index 2022 published by the Economist Intelligence Unit EIU concentrates heavily on the Russia-Ukraine war. According to the report, about two thirds of the world’s population live in countries that are neutral or Russia-leaning regarding the war in Ukraine. The report states, “Russia’s war of aggression has united the US, Europe and its close allies behind Ukraine, but many developing countries do not see things the same way. The countries of the global south see this as the West’s war and not necessarily their concern. Their reluctance to line up behind Western countries reflects, variously, frustration with the established international order and an emphasis on first-world issues; resentment of perceived Western hypocrisy in light of past Western intervention in their affairs; and dependency on Russian minerals and other resources.” (2)
Study by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) thinktank surveyed opinions in 15 countries – in nine EU member states and in Britain, USA, Russia, China, India and Türkiye. The study “revealed sharp geographical differences in attitudes to the war, democracy and the global balance of power, suggesting Russia’s aggression may be a historic turning point marking the emergence of a ‘post-western’ world order.” Mark Leonard, the thinktank’s director and a co-author of the report, stated, “The paradox of the Ukraine war is that the west is both more united, and less influential in the world, than ever before.” According to professor Timothy Garton Ash, the survey showed that “the war had given the transatlantic west unity and purpose” but it had “utterly failed to persuade major powers of the rest, such as China, India and Turkey.” (3)
The rest of the world has also seen how the West has, perhaps unwittingly, shown its bias regarding the Russia-Ukraine war and Ukrainian refugees. Last year, when the war started, comments made in Western media and by some prominent persons were quite startling. Here are some examples (4):
NBC News correspondent Kelly Cobiella: “Just to put it bluntly, These are not refugees from Syria, these are refugees from neighbouring Ukraine… These are Christian, they’re white, they’re very similar.”
Daniel Hannan on The Telegraph: “They seem so like us. That is what makes it so shocking. War is no longer something visited upon impoverished and remote populations. It can happen to anyone.”
English presenter Peter Dobbie on Al Jazeera: (Ukrainians fleeing the war are) “prosperous, middle class people” (who) “are not obviously refugees trying to get away from areas in the Middle East that are still in a big state of war. These are not people trying to get away from areas in North Africa, they look like any European family that you would live next door to.”
Ukraine’s former deputy general prosecutor David Sakvarelidze on BBC News: “It’s very emotional for me because I see European people with blonde hair and blue eyes being killed every day with Putin’s missiles and his helicopters and his rockets.”
Bulgaria’s president Rumen Radev: “These are not the refugees we are used to. These people are Europeans… These people are intelligent, they are educated people… This is not the refugee wave we have been used to, people we were not sure about their identity, people with unclear pasts, who could have been even terrorists… In other words, there is not a single European country now which is afraid of the current wave of refugees.”
References:
1) “Where does your country stand on the Russia-Ukraine war?” Al Jazeera 16.2.2023
2) Democracy Index 2022 Economist Intelligence Unit EIU February 2023
3) “War in Ukraine defining new world order, says thinktank” The Guardian 22.2.2023
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/21/war-in-ukraine-defining-new-world-order-says-thinktank
4) “Europe’s contrasting responses to Ukraine refugee crisis prompt criticism” Independent 28.2.2022
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