Skip to main content

Ukrainian crisis turns NATO nations into natural customer of mass destruction weapons

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* 

Amidst of all its failures, the troika of capitalism, reactionary nationalism and imperialism move together to continue its false relevance with the help of its traditional weapons of war and regional conflicts. It is a response to divert the radical agendas of rising movements against social and political movements against capitalism and imperialism.
It is within this context that one needs to reflect on imperialist imposed conflict between Ukraine and Russia. These two neighbouring countries have not only fought against oligarchy, feudalism, fascism and capitalism but also fought against imperialism. Their common battle led to the defeat of fascism and deepening of democracy in Europe. Both Ukrainians and Russians have sacrificed enormously to establish lasting peace in Europe.
These two countries share common history, culture and bound by family ties. The NATO led imperialist imposed conflict is destroying the common heritage, culture and history of peace and solidarity in the region. It is pushing entire Europe into war and turmoil. This is the best way to hide the irrelevance of NATO and endless failures of capitalism as a system.
The history of Ukraine has witnessed the end of Tsars, the Poles, Russian and the Austro-Hungarian empires. It will be no different. Once again Ukraine will be the burial ground for the NATO led European and Yankee imperialism and its relevance. From the crisis in Crimea, Odessa to Donbass today are products of NATO’s playbook to expand and bring back its fictional relevance.
The NATO’s east ward manoeuvres are part of this playbook which hides the failures of NATO to provide security needs of its member states. The admissions of Albania, Croatia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Montenegro and North Macedonia into the fold of the NATO are glaring examples of its cold war strategy.
Such an expansion of NATO has reached Russian boarders. Russian actions are a direct response to NATO’s imperialist actions. This NATO led conflicts are pushing the region and the world into a condition of war like situation and instability, where military industrial complex will make super profit at the cost of people and peace.
The NATO led wars in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya has nothing to do with defeating dictators and establishing democracy. These wars have nothing to do with defence and security of people. These are wars to create defence markets to sale huge amount of weapons in the name of regime change. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine helps such an agenda as well.
Andrew Cockburn in his book “The Spoils of War,” has outlined the way imperialist-capitalist alliance led by NATO seeks to ensure new market for Pentagon contractors like Lockheed Martin. As Cockburn reminds us that “By 2014, the 12 new members (of NATO) had purchased close to $17 billion worth of American weapons.”.
The NATO members are natural customers of weapons of mass destruction. Cockburn’s book further documents, NATO’s collective military spending “had hit $1.03 trillion, or roughly 20 times Russia’s military budget”. The citizens of NATO member states face austerity measures on welfare spending, suffer from ill health, unemployment, poverty and homelessness but the ruling elites design the war games to domesticate basic citizenship rights and undermine democracy and peace.
The reactionary ethnic and religious nationalism helps in this process of dismantling democracy and citizenship rights in the name of national unity and sovereignty. The Ukrainian and Russian conflicts move in this direction where people are ultimate losers and military corporates are the real winners.
Imperialist wars can never secure the unity, integrity and sovereignty of any country. It is peace, prosperity and solidarity that secures people, communities, nation states and planet. It is time to abandon all imperialist organisations like NATO and their military projects for a lasting world peace. Peace is the only alternative for the Ukrainians, Russians and everyone else in the world. Imperialist wars and conflicts are against people and our planet. There is no alternative to peace.
---
*University of Glasgow, UK

Comments

TRENDING

Avoidable Narmada floods: Modi birthday fete caused long wait for release of dam waters

Counterview Desk  Top advocacy group, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), has accused the Sardar Sarovar dam operators for once again acting in an "unaccountable" manner, bringing "avoidable floods in downstream Gujarat."  In a detailed analysis, SANDRP has said that the water level at the Golden Bridge in Bharuch approached the highest flood level on September 17, 2023, but these "could have been significantly lower and much less disastrous" both for the upstream and downstream areas of the dam, if the authorities had taken action earlier based on available actionable information.

Biden urged to warn Modi: US can declare India as worst religious freedom offender

By Our Representative  During a Congressional Briefing held on Capitol Hill, Washington DC, Nadine Maenza, former Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), has wondered why the Biden administration should raise issues of mass anti-minority mob violence  -- particularly in Haryana and Manipur -- with Modi. Modi should be told that if such violence continues, the US will be “compelled by law” to designate India as one of the world’s worst offenders of religious freedom, she urged.

From 'Naatu-Naatu' to 'Nipah-Nipah': Dancing to the tune of western pipers?

By Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD*  Some critics have commented that the ecstatic response of most Indians to the Oscar for the racy Indian song, “Naatu-Naatu” from the film, “RRR” reeks of sheer racism, insulting visuals and a colonial hangover. It was perhaps these ingredients that impressed the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, one critic says.

Why iconic Urdu book stall, publishing house Maktaba Jamia died an 'unnatural' death

By Firoz Bakht Ahmed*  We have all grown through the fragrant flavours and flairs of our childhood, one of them being our childhood mother-tongue historic magazines like, “Thakurmar Jhuli” (Bengali), “Khilauna”, Payam-e-Taleem" (Urdu), “Hans” (Marathi), “Parag” (Hindi), “Chitralekha” (Gujarati), “Chandamama” (Telugu), etc. I “drank” Urdu while suckling his mother and learnt the language not from any madrasa, school or college but from these publications only — my treasure trove!

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Asset managers hold '2.8 times more equity' in fossil fuel cos than in green investments

By Deepanwita Gita Niyogi*  The world’s largest asset managers are far off track to meet the  2050 net zero commitments , a new study  released by InfluenceMap , a London-based think tank working on climate change and sustainability, says. Released on August 1, the Asset Managers and Climate Change 2023 report by FinanceMap, a work stream of InfluenceMap, finds that the world’s largest asset managers have not improved on their climate performance in the past two years.

Evading primary responsibility, ONGC decides to invest Rs 15,000 crore in sick subsidiary

By NS Venkataraman*  It is reported that Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) will infuse about Rs 15,000 crore in ONGC Petro-additions Ltd (OPaL) as part of a financial restructuring exercise. ONGC currently holds 49.36 per cent stake in (OPaL), which operates a mega petrochemical plant at Dahej in Gujarat. GAIL (India) Ltd has 49.21 per cent interest and Gujarat State Petrochemical Corporation (GSPC) has the remaining 1.43 per cent.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Sales, profits of Indian firms 'deteriorate', yet no significant increase in cost pressures

By Our Representative  The Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad's (IIM-A's) latest Business Inflation Expectations Survey (BIES), a monthly exercise, has said that while cost perceptions data does not indicate significant increase of cost pressures, sales and profits of the Indian firms have deteriorated.

Why Bangladesh is achieving 'new heights' amidst economic collapse of Pakistan

By Sufian Siddique*  Pakistan's economy is on the brink of bankruptcy like Sri Lanka's. Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves have fallen below $3 billion. They have asked the IMF for a 'bailout loan' a long time ago, but the IMF is trying to impose strict conditions that Pakistan's current ruling coalition has no capacity to meet. Even China and Saudi Arabia, Pakistan's long-standing loyal friends, are now reluctant to shoulder Pakistan's burden.