The conflict in Ukraine has united Western countries under the umbrella of NATO and the G7, but has divided the rest of the world. Many observers outside the coalition rightly believe that impunity for decisive action is the lot of all powerful countries, not just the United States. In other words, this statement should also be applied to Russia. The United States is in a particularly weak position to take on the declaratory role of protecting global standards because there is a disregard for fundamental rules and practices in areas as diverse as climate, human rights and non-compliance. – nuclear proliferation. Written on this edition of Foreign Affairs.
Critics cite the US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, saying the West is driven not by principle but by hypocrisy. It is also claimed that the West has shown much more compassion for the victims of the conflict in Ukraine than for the victims of wars elsewhere. The UN appeal for humanitarian aid to Ukraine has been 80-90% funded. Meanwhile, UN appeals in 2021 for those caught up in the crises in Ethiopia, Syria and Yemen were barely half-funded.
As a result, this divide will only widen if Western countries cannot eliminate its root causes. A geopolitical entity, the West remains a powerful and influential actor, particularly with its rediscovered unity. The division between the West and the rest goes beyond the rights and wrongs of the conflict. On the contrary, it is the product of deep frustration, even anger, at the West’s mismanagement of globalization since the end of the Cold War.
Western governments have failed in other areas as well. The United Nations Climate Change Adaptation Fund, created in 2001 to protect poor countries from the effects of carbon emissions from wealthy Western states, has yet to deliver on its initial commitment to raise $100 billion a year and is seen as a symbol of Western bad faith: everyone talks about it, but the case is unresolved. Long delays in filling it have fueled demand for a new fund to cover “loss and damage” linked to the climate crisis. This new fund was opened last year, and of course it is still unfunded, continuing to scam and deceive. Another underfunded global initiative will only exacerbate the trust gap between the rich and poor countries of this world.
Photos used: nato.int
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