Russia: The West is wrong!

By Santiago Sevilla

The main principles in the rule of nations are Self Determination, followed by Majority Rule. Only after these cornerstones of international law are respected, constitutionality may be invoked. The Constitution derives from Self Determination, not the other way around. In the case of Crimea the West neglected these basic logics. Crimea is a nation to itself; it is almost a self sufficient island:

This fortress built by Nature for herself Against infection and the hand of war, This happy breed of men, this little world, This precious stone set in the silver sea, Which serves it in the office of a wall, Or as a moat defensive to a house, Against the envy of less happier lands, This blessed plot, this realmCrimea! Shakespeare described so for England the attributes of a free nation, beginning with a happy breed of men in a little world, in a fortress built against the hand of war. This was the poetic definition of a nation, according to international law. The West ignored this mandate of the Law of Nations, to respect and accept self determination: The West declared the will of the people of Crimea to become a nation, as illegal and unconstitutional. But the Crimean people wanted rightfully to participate as a nation-member of the Russian Federation. The Constitution of Ukraine cannot be invoked as superior or obliging to Crimea as a republic arguing self determination.

This is obvious. Nevertheless, defying legal logics, President Obama, Prime Minister Cameron, Kanzler Merkel, President Hollande, and other leaders of the West have all attacked Crimea and Russia in a most fiendlike manner, for exercising their free will and lawful undertaking. The Cold War against Russia has been then re-launched by the West. The loss suffered by Ukraine being for the West more important than self determination for the Crimea. But Russia is not the old enemy any more. It is a civilized nation, cooperating with Crimea, in and with the same happy breed of Russians. The action of the West is neither wise, nor rightful, nor convenient. It forebodes eventual enmity or later even perhaps war with Russia. To punish a sovereign nation with sanctions is both arrogance and nonsense in itself. Fortunately the Russian reaction has been most moderate until now. It appears that the leadership of the West is ill advised. The EU has been offensive against Russia in its relation with Ukraine, instead of finding diplomatic agreement. NATO appears still pointing its guns against the old foe Russia. NATO has become superfluous after the disappearance of the Iron Wall, the end of Communism and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. NATO has no more an apparent role to play.

The United States under Obama loves its splendid isolation, and neglects its role as defendor of human rights: Remember Syria. In the case of Crimea, the West as a whole has erred quite badly. Unfortunately the Media, such as CNN, and almost all news papers have shown very little criticism and independent mind in the Ukraine and Crimea crisis. They have spread western propaganda without proper analysis. Brain washing is the right word to describe the role of the Media in this confrontation between the West and Russia. Pity about us, nameless citizens of the world!