A Bifurcated World
Is that what you want? Or would you prefer World War 3?
In Western media, the whole world supports Ukraine against 'Russian aggression.'
In truth, outside of NATO and the former British Empire, the world is somewhat ambivalent.
Africa, the Middle East, large parts of Asia, and South America have had very good relations with China for decades, and to a lesser extent, good relationships with Russia. It's not at all clear that any of these regions will be stampeded into siding against China’s friend Russia if the conflict in Ukraine widens.
The war in Ukraine has clearly driven Russia further into an alliance with China. Iran will almost certainly side with Russia and China if international relationships deteriorate further. It's not clear what the rest of the world will do. Most particularly, it's not certain what India would do if it is forced to make a choice.
Here are two English language editorials from India about Ukraine.
First from Republic World:
Then from WION:
The danger here is that our interconnected world bifurcates into a planetary us versus them, with less and less communication between the two opposing sides.
There will be two internets. Two opposing sets of mass media each spewing out their own propaganda. The world will have two massive trading blocs, with little or no contact between them. Is this the world you want to live in?
That's assuming we can avoid World War 3, which is looking less and less likely, given the extent to which the mainstream media in the US have become cheerleaders for war.
Like everyone else, I am horrified by the death and destruction currently taking place in Ukraine. The danger here is that, in our rush to 'do something,' we will make a very bad situation immeasurably worse.
If the current war in Ukaine escalates, the likelihood is that more people will die in Ukraine, not less. What's worse, the horrors of war could spread well beyond the borders of Ukraine.
The most important goals here are a) to avoid World War 3, and b) to stop the killing in Ukraine.
World War 3 would result in millions of deaths and immense destruction in the best case scenario. Worst case scenario is the extinction of the human species.
Demonizing Putin, attacking all Russians, and declaring economic war on Russia makes World War 3 more likely, not less.
The quickest way to stop the killing in Ukraine is with a negotiated settlement. The keys to finding that negotiated settlement involve a) recognizing that Russia has legitimate security concerns in Ukraine, and b) that any way forward must involve a de-escalation of the economic warfare.
Think about that before becoming a cheerleader for escalating the conflict beyond the extremely dangerous place in which we find ourselves right now.
Yes, one can feel morally superior virtue-signalling against mad/bad Putin on Facebook, Tik Toc, and Twitter, but will that virtue signalling likely lead to peace, or a further escalation of tensions?
If someday your surviving children ask you, what did you do to try to prevent World War 3, what will you tell them?
PS: One of the problems with a national press corps that forbids and/or demonizes dissenting opinions is that there are important issues that can’t be talked about - like Joe Biden’s obvious cognitive decline. If the only thing between us and World War 3 is a senile old man, that’s not a good situation for America, or for the world. Fortunately, there are news outlets in Australia willing to talk about the emperor’s nakedness:
Here’s a further story about US bio-labs in Ukraine, and attempts to censor information about them: