On February 24, 2022, conversations around the world changed spontaneously. From discussions in the bar among friends to classroom debates to media reports to complex political discussions.
Before February 2022, the availability and prices of products like cooking oil, gas, etc., were never topical.
With massive recoveries being made from the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone looked forward to 2022 which would bring more light and comfort to the world. But NO!
The Russian invasion of Ukraine took hold of the world’s attention once more. Everyone had to begin to understand the complex layers of geopolitics and regional security. The sudden war in Ukraine shook the foundations of the world more than the pandemic.
Everyone had to take a short pause in their lives to look forward to a new era of international turmoil, disaster, and disruption of people’s lives, plans, and goals. Families were concerned about their relatives and friends who were trapped in the middle of the war.
Thousands of people had to flee their own homes along with their children, spouses, and their old-aged parents to survive because of the bombings, gunshots, and inhumane attacks on Ukrainian populations. Foreign nations became vulnerable.
Hundreds and thousands of people had to escape at all costs! It did not matter how, they just had to run for their own lives! Foreign governments and the foreign public constantly waited for the latest updates.
The section of a ”new world” in Ukraine made social media the most powerful tool of interaction once more. Governments, civil society organizations, foreign affairs ministries, school groups, churches, and cross-country communities created several platforms on Twitter, Facebook, Clubhouse, and the likes to share the latest information on the war in Ukraine, to discuss evacuation plans, to console those whose families and friends have been killed through the war and to bring hope to the hopeless.
Some of these platforms created a way for people to practice empathic listening where affected groups could share their plights with strangers.
It did not even matter if they talked to strangers over the internet or not. All that was needed was help, whether emotional, physical, or spiritual. Help was the focus!
While the Russian-Ukraine war is the first of its kind between the two countries, it is not new.
By understanding international law, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a serious violation of the respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Ukrainian state.
But did Vladimir Putin care? Not! To Vladimir Putin, the invasion of Ukraine by his country was not a war but a ”special military operation” How does this even guarantee the value of state sovereignty and the manifestation and continuation of the society of states?
The nature of wars has not changed. Wars have been and will always be political creations. Good examples are the first and second world wars as well as the Cold war. Conquest actions by powerful states over other states to capture and launch state formation processes across Europe began through political decisions.
Wars are not spontaneous occurrences. They are intentionally planned and executed. Meanwhile, wars have only evolved in their meanings and strategies. While technology was not deployed as a means of starting wars through cyberspace in the 17th,18th, or 19th century, the use of technological systems to harm or even cause the death of thousands or even millions of people in a target country have become common in recent times.
Even though it’s been decades since the world experienced a grand physical combat between two countries, such as the Russian-Ukrainian war, it is evident from the divergent geopolitical perspectives that, the nature of warfare continues to be shaped much more by historical elements of politics, culture, social differences, technological advancements, etc. that act as the strategic contexts and catalysts for war
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine demonstrates the egoistic elements of the Putin-led government because it still has an unprovoked nature of exercising control over its previous colonies (under the USSR).
It is shocking to know if Putin and Russia intend to reestablish their geopolitical order in Europe that is based on Russian values or ideals.
It is clear that, in the past 100 years, no new factors account for the occurrence of wars in contemporary times. In essence, factors accounting for the nature of contemporary wars exist in present times too without significant changes.
Putin’s Russia must find interest in understanding that, former colonies or allies are not obligated by any law to choose their ideological path, and this should not result in a very unnecessary war!
