Special Emergency Session on Ukraine
The General Assembly met in emergency session from February 28 to March 2 to debate and vote on a U.S. anti-Russia resolution. The resolution called for Russia to "immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders." It said nothing about the U.S./NATO use of Ukraine as a forward base to isolate, encircle and humiliate Russia and their arms and troop build-up and eastward expansion. The resolution, which needed a two-thirds majority in the Assembly to pass, is not binding and did not include measures for the use of armed force.
The vote was 141 of the assembly's 193 members in favour, five against and 35 abstentions.[1] Twelve countries did not participate in the vote and were counted as not present, including Venezuela. Although Venezuela’s stand was clearly presented during the debate, it has had its voting rights suspended because it cannot afford to pay its UN dues because of U.S. illegal sanctions. By demanding the emergency session and pushing through the resolution, the U.S. was successful in embroiling UN members in its manoeuvres that have done nothing to resolve the conflict.
In the creation of the Ukraine crisis, the U.S. is leaving no stone unturned in an effort to be head of a world order where it is the hegemon which makes the rules and everyone had better fall in line or else face terrible consequences. Russia drew its security "red lines" over expansion of NATO to Ukraine and U.S. missiles on its borders. Ukraine is completely expendable in the U.S. plan, a pawn and a victim in the U.S. striving for domination over every arena of concern to the peoples of the world. The United Nations has become one such battleground.
The resolution adopted on March 2 is dangerous. Unlike in 1950 when the U.S. got the UN to mandate armed UN intervention against Korea, it did not do so on this occasion. However, when matters are referred to the General Assembly by the Security Council under the "Uniting for Peace" resolution, it is with a view to making appropriate recommendations to Members for collective measures, including potential use of armed force. Even though the General Assembly is not considering this at this time, the U.S. could attempt to use the resolution, and what it claims is Russia's refusal to abide by it, to do so in the future.
The resolution states among other things that "The territory of a State shall not be the object of acquisition by another State resulting from the threat or use of force, and that any attempt aimed at the partial or total disruption of the national unity and territorial integrity of a State or country or at its political independence is incompatible with the purposes and principles of the Charter."
Are the world's peoples supposed to forget all the U.S. interference, invasions, coups, wars against Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, coups in Honduras, Haiti, attempts at regime change against Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua -- and these are just recent examples. Yet for Ukraine an emergency session is called, replete with U.S. dictate and chauvinism.
This was also indicated in the following section of the resolution: "Recognizing that the military operations of the Russian Federation inside the sovereign territory of Ukraine are on a scale that the international community has not seen in Europe in decades and that urgent action is needed to save this generation from the scourge of war." Note that the U.S./NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999 is not considered a "land war" and on this basis dismissed. Note also that Russia is not treated as part of Europe. The transparent aim is to make Russia alone the source of world war in conditions where it is the U.S., with its brinkmanship and unending provocations that is instigating confrontation everywhere in Europe as well as the Asia Pacific in particular at this time.
The U.S., NATO members and other member states aligned to this position, although it is known the U.S. and its allies such as Canada and others use strong-arm tactics. Their remarks echoed those of the U.S. about "unprovoked" and "unjustified military aggression" by Russia.
The five countries that voted against the U.S.-sponsored resolution and 35 countries which opposed it by abstaining, have long experienced the impact of aggression and colonization by the U.S. and European countries and justifications for it. This includes current militarization and placement of troops in Africa by the U.S. as part of its AFRICOM.
For the full text of the UN resolution click here.
This article was published in
Volume 52 Number 3 - March 6, 2022
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2022/Articles/M520039.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca