The Long Overdue Quest for a New International Order based on Equality & Justice?
By Yeheyis Ewnetu
Do western powers have the legal and high moral ground to talk about peace, democracy and human rights? Are they not ashamed of themselves, if they are left with an iota of conscience, of blatantly lying to the entire non-western world that they despise and see in utter contempt? Do they have the slightest care about sovereignty and independence of any country? How do they build their satanic empire before WWII and in the last seventy years? Are they not built on slavery, colonialism, neo-colonialism and extermination of innocent people all over the world, especially Africans and by intervening in the internal affairs of sovereign nations? What were they doing in the Middle East and Latin American Countries, the total annihilation of civilizations and cultures; toppling of governments elected or favored by people; the unprecedented looting of resources, to mention but a few? Were these saintly deeds to be proud of? Why do they expect the rest of the world to believe and consider their invasion, violations of human rights and constant interventions in the domestic affairs of various countries under the pretext of democracy and human right as acceptable international behavior? Do they think that the dirty deeds and egregious crimes committed by their intelligence agencies throughout the world unknown by the rest of the world?
If we are to list the catalogues of injustices done by the western powers under the guise of democracy, human right and aid, etc in non-western countries, would it be sufficient to have all water bodies become ink, all plants become pen and the earth become parchment? I doubt.
Admittedly that we, Ethiopians, have too much on our plate right now and we have been through unprecedented and formidable political, social and economic problems since the last thirty plus years mainly due to ethnic politics and and its manifestations of politics of division and hatred. We believe that the master mind behind such diabolical project to humiliate a proud and independent people and destruction of ancient civilization is the work of none other than western powers as part of their neo-colonial aspirations. For such illegal and immoral purposes, they employ internal mercenaries, corrupt dictators who lost their minds for their lust for power and unbridled greed for money.
The injustice, atrocities and all sorts of earthly wrongs/crimes committed by home-grown state and state-sponsored terrorists (TPLF/OPDO-OLF in consortium with the so-called EPRDFites – the devil incarnates ethno juntas) with the full backing of the western powers have been unprecedented in the entire history of this ancient, historical, independent and above all land of God of ours. No time in our history the very survival of our country and the safety and security of Ethiopians are at stake than the last thirty years in general and the last four hellish years in particular. Willy-nilly, these are the bitter realities we Ethiopians are condemned to live with.
Which nation and people have been with us when hundreds of thousands of innocent children, women and senior citizens were killed by state and state-sponsored terrorists based on their ethnic identity and their religion even todate? Which nation and people have condemned and take actions when ethnic maniacs like TPLF/OPDO-OLF (the regime in power) commit genocide, ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity, and war crimes todate? Which nation and people voiced their concern when millions of innocent citizens were internally displaced and left unattended by the very regime who claims to rule over these people? Instead, we found western powers as accomplices and in collusion with the very terrorists who have brought untold sufferings on the Ethiopian people. Complicity with devilish forces is not a new phenomenon for western powers as long as it is in line with their interests. Any sanction targeting solely the Ethiopian people, who have been suffering by the ethnic-based authoritarian regime of OPDO-OLF, is inhuman in the least and a complicity with terrorist groups like TPLF/OPDO-OLF at the best. Things may not be in our favor for the time being, for we ‘haven’t an Ethiopian government’ working for the national interests of Ethiopia. We have a firm belief, however, that the High God of Ethiopia with WHOM we have confidence will not forsake HIS promised biblical land, Ethiopia. HE would give HIS true and straightforward judgment soon. True, we have our own share of insanity and ignorance (especially, on the part of the ignoramus dictators who seize power by force one after the other) as others peoples and nations. It seems that the generation (am not referring to one country), on its own free will and choice, has let itself to be instrumental for the fulfillment of the alarming prophecies made in the Holy Scripture.
It is our duty and responsibility to make basic constitutional and structural changes aimed at primarily the survival of our country and the safety of our people. Then will follow the set up of a system of government whereby people are governed by their elected representatives; where rule of law prevails over the law of the jungle; where people have the freedom to live and produce wealth in any part of Ethiopia of their choice; where human rights are respected and violators are not left with impunity; where people are not incarcerated for voicing their opinions; where people are not murdered for holding their national flag; where favorable political and socio-economic environment are created for growth and development. With the help of the Almighty these are gigantic works awaiting for us Ethiopians.
Though the aforementioned problems are the stark reality of Ethiopia, still, we are not an island in the community of nations. What has happened in one corner of the globe may affect us directly or indirectly since no nation, big or small, stand on its own without cooperation and interdependence based on equality, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Hence, it seems that we can afford the ‘luxury’ of talking about the current affair about Russia-Ukraine; the westerners’ outcry; their rhetoric about ‘autocracy vs democracy’; the irresponsibility of the western puppet leader of Ukraine leading to the suffering of his people and the destruction of his country; the barrage of sanctions against Russia; the fear or alarm of western powers losing their neo-colonial aspiration under the guise of ‘globalization’ and the status quo of their military and economic dominance achieved through ‘modern slavery’, at the expense of impoverishing the non-western world by looting their resources in broad day light, by imposing heavy burdens of debt, by killing hundreds and thousands of innocent people, by destroying their civilization, culture and identity; etc
There is a common saying of Ethiopians: a nearby neighbor is better than a faraway relative. It seems that the leadership of Ukraine lacks this wisdom. In an effort to appease western powers which are not even ‘distant relatives’, they commit a grave mistake of historical proportion. Ukraine used to be part of the former Soviet Union. It is undeniable that they share similar culture and language and family attachments with Russians than the western powers that lured them in to their traps for their own end. Are they ignorant of the fact that the ever increasing expansion of NATO and EU, the military and economic wing of western powers respectively, an existential security threat to the Russian Federation? This does not require one to be a political scientist. Despite the massive anti-Putin and anti-Russia campaign waged by the western Medias and the huge sanctions imposed by western powers, Russia is still a great power to be reckoned with. Any war has its own casualties. That doesn’t necessarily signify a weakness on the part of the combatants. Propagandas are part and parcel of strategies of war. That is why the western Medias, especially that of USA sent armies of journalists. The war is still an ongoing one. Its success or failure would be measured in terms of the strategy and end goal set out for the operation on both sides. Let’s not forget that Russia is the largest country in the world with huge resources and nuclear power. I do not think the western powers can buy the alliance of the rest of the world, especially the non-western world, by the fake empathy and sympathy they appear to show to Ukrainians for whose predicaments they are primarily responsible and accountable. The conflict they caused in the Black Sea has backfired in EU states and USA in terms of the influx of migration from Ukraine and the heavy toll on their economy.
Now, let me pose questions to be raised by ordinary peoples in the non-western world about the international order created and run by western powers.
Who are the western powers to tell us, the rest of the world, to abide by their neo-colonial aspirations/ambitions? What earthly reasons are there to justify their barbaric acts against people in the non-western world, the looting of their resources, the meddling in the internal affairs of independent and sovereign nations, the causing of civil wars/civil unrests, organizing and backing terrorist and authoritarian regimes that go against the will and wishes of the majority of people? Who are they to set standards in all spheres of life for the non-western world? Who are they to make prescriptions like ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts for sovereign peoples and nations? Who are they to prohibit or permit nations to have nuclear power or not? No reason other than economic and military might the source and basis of which are, to the most part, from the non-western world.
Here is my message: The current international order/system, the one established in the aftermath of WWII by the western powers, is rotten to the core. It is designed from the very outset to serve the interests of western powers. The UN with all its agencies, the IMF, the World Bank, western governmental and non-governmental organizations, and of course western governments and their satellite dictatorial regimes all of them are there to perpetuate the imperial or neo-colonial ambitions of the western powers. In this regard, there is no exception except differences in individual opinions. Therefore, it is high time that African and other non-western nations must say no more to such cruel and unjust international order!!! The quest for a new international order based on equality and justice has been long overdue.