Editor,
The United Nations Organisation (UNO), established in 1945 after World War II as the peacekeeping watchdog in the contemporary world is gradually haemorrhaging its critical values due to excessive interference of the West.
The organisation has almost lost its credibility, integrity and authority in defending its resolution to ensure international peace and security. Like its predecessor, the League of Nations, which was founded after World War I to maintain world peace and avoid future wars, the league failed to uphold its sanctum sanctorum charter and cherished ethos in respect to humanity and human rights, ultimately leading to mass massacre in WWII. The league horrendously failed to intervene in many conflicts leading up to WWII, including the Italian invasion of Albania, the Spanish civil war, the provoking rise of Hitler and his Nazism and the Sino Japanese war.
And when we talk about WWII, who can forget the cataclysm of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and its imperishable impact on humanity? Similarly, the current organisation seems to be experiencing the same weaknesses as its predecessor. There are innumerable threats occurring against humanity around the world within the shadow of the United Nations’ jurisdiction, but the organisation is acting like a toothless tiger. The organisation of UN today is nothing but a monopoly of a few antagonists and overambitious nations who can go to any extend to grind their selfish axes. The pugnacious nations that boast of being ambassadors and priests of peace and brotherhood have spilled human blood in the past, as well, and there is no change in their baleful and devilish designs even today.
The recent invasion of Russia on Ukraine and the haplessness of this international organisation to cease the Russian juggernaut has put serious question marks on the UN’s sovereignty. The attack on Ukraine is a brazen violation of the UN charter and international laws, which indirectly sent a shockwave message and created deep apprehension among the weaker and non-nuclear states that they could be invaded at any time by the powerful nations, and such apprehension is only causing trust deficit among the nations.
Today, world peace has been jeopardised and taken hostage by these so-called champions and pioneers of humanity and human values. The ongoing Israel and Palestine crisis is another example which exposes how the UNO has been sabotaged by the superpower countries. Although the UNO recently passed certain resolutions to end the war, it carries no weight and value, because the organisation is a mere marionette and the superpowers have its strings on their fingers. The UN can’t budge but dance to the tunes of its masters and controllers. In such circumstances, how is it possible to anticipate justice and mercy when the assassinator is the jurist?
Therefore, if there’s anything which could possibly protect the world peace, then strengthening the authority of the UNO would be the sole means. In this era of a multipolar world, dictating to the organisation’s total 193 members by a few great powers is not a good sign for world peace. Therefore, at this time of high noon, the role and relevance of the non-alliance movement (NAM) becomes indispensable.
Countries like India, China and other Asian countries can play a critical role in balancing the world politics, especially India. Being the founder member of the NAM and also a founding member of the UNO, it can play the role of a model in strengthening the credibility and integrity of the UNO. Last year, our External Affairs Minister, Jaishankar, in an interview during the 17th edition of the GLOBSEC Bratislava Forum in Slovakia, rightly stated that “somewhere Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe’s problems are the world’s problem but the world’s problems are not Europe’s problems. That if it is you, it’s yours, if it is me, it is ours.” His statement is loud and clear about India’s ambition for world peace. The current conflict between Israel and Palestine is the best example which clearly testifies why Europe and the Western powers have to grow out of their mindset. Now is the time that all the nations should come forward, irrespective of their ideologies, to raise their collective voice against the belligerent and jingoistic nature of countries that wish to rule the world under their feet. The UNO needs to be strengthened for the sake of world peace.
Tititso Lap,
Indira Gandhi
Government College,
Tezu