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

When democracy becomes a performance: The Tibetan exile experience

By Tseten Lhundup* I was born in Bylakuppe, one of the largest Tibetan settlements in southern India. From childhood, I grew up in simple barracks, along muddy roads, and in fields with limited resources. Over the years, I have watched our democratic system slowly erode. Observing the recent budget session of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, these “democratic procedures” appear grand and orderly on the surface, yet in reality they amount to little more than empty formalities. The parliamentarians seem largely disconnected from the everyday struggles faced by ordinary exiled Tibetans like us.

Study links sanctions to 500,000 deaths annually leading to rise in global backlash

By Bharat Dogra International opinion is increasingly turning against the expanding burden of sanctions imposed on a growing number of countries. These measures are contributing to humanitarian crises, intensifying domestic discord, and heightening international tensions, thereby increasing the risks of conflicts and wars.

Dhurandhar: The Revenge — Blurring the line between fiction and political narrative

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan* "Dhurandhar: The Revenge" does not wait to be remembered; it arrives almost on the heels of its predecessor, released on March 19, 2026, just months after the first film’s December 2025 debut. The speed of its arrival feels less like creative urgency and more like calculated timing—cinema responding not to storytelling rhythm but to the emotional climate of its audience. Director Aditya Dhar, along with actor Yami Gautam, appears acutely aware of this moment and how to harness it.

Beyond the island: Top mythologist reorients the geography of the Ramayana

By Jag Jivan In a compelling new analysis that challenges conventional geographical assumptions about the ancient epic, writer and mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik has traced the roots of the Ramayana to the forests and river systems of Central and Eastern India, rather than the peninsular south or the modern island nation of Sri Lanka.

BJP accounts for 99% of political donations in Gujarat: Corporate giants dominate

By Jag Jivan An analysis of the official data on donations received by national parties from Gujarat during the Financial Year 2024-25 reveals a staggering concentration of funding, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accounting for nearly the entirety of the contributions. The data, compiled in a document titled "National Parties donations received from Gujarat during FY-2024-25," lists thousands of transactions, painting a detailed picture of the financial backing for political parties from one of India’s most industrially significant states.

Alarming decline in India's repair culture threatens circular economy goals: Study

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive new study by environmental research and advocacy organisation Toxics Link has painted a worrying picture of India's fading repair culture, warning that the trend towards replacement over repair is accelerating the country's already critical e-waste crisis.

Captains extraordinaire: Ranking cricket’s most influential skippers

By Harsh Thakor* Ranking the greatest cricket captains is a subjective exercise, often sparking passionate debate among fans. The following list is not merely a tally of wins and losses; it is an assessment of leadership’s deeper impact. My criteria fuse a captain’s playing record with their tactical skill, placing the highest consideration on their ability to reshape a team’s fortunes and inspire those around them. A captain who inherited a dominant empire is judged differently from one who resurrected a nation’s cricket from the doldrums. With that in mind, here is my perspective on the finest leaders the game has ever seen.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

‘No merit’ in Chakraborty’s claims: Personal ethics talk sans details raises questions

By Jag Jivan A recent opinion piece published in The Quint by Subhash Chandra Garg has raised questions over the circumstances surrounding the resignation of Atanu Chakraborty from HDFC Bank , with Garg stating that the exit “raises doubts about his own ‘ethics’.” Garg, currently Chief Policy Advisor at Subhanjali and former Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India, writes that the Reserve Bank of India ( RBI ) appears to find no substance in Chakraborty’s claims, noting, “It is clear the RBI sees no merit in Atanu Chakraborty’s wild and vague assertions.”

Search This Blog