The Global South media on the war in Ukraine (24.03 – 07.04)

The Indian Express, an Indian daily newspaper, published on April 2 the article “War-crimes warrant for Vladimir Putin could complicate Ukraine peace”, warning that cessation of hostilities and negotiation between the parties may be suspended by arrest warrant issued against Vladimir Putin by ICC. It was stressed in the article that this ICC decision appears to be highly controversial and was opposed by some European leaders.

“Serbia, which wants European Union membership but has maintained close ties to Russia, is one of the countries that has criticised the ICC’s action. The warrants “will have bad political consequences” and create “a great reluctance to talk about peace (and) about truce” in Ukraine, populist Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said“.

“Hungary did not join the other 26 EU members in signing a resolution in support of the ICC warrant for Putin. The government’s chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas, said Hungarian authorities would not arrest Putin if he were to enter the country. He called the warrants “not the most fortunate because they lead toward escalation and not toward peace.” Putin appears to have a strong grip on power, and some analysts suspect the the warrant hanging over him could provide an incentive to prolong the fighting.

“The arrest warrant for Putin might undermine efforts to reach a peace deal in Ukraine,” Daniel Krcmaric, an associate professor of political science at Northwestern University, said in emailed comments to The Associated Press“. https://indianexpress.com/article/world/war-crimes-warrant-for-putin-could-complicate-ukraine-peace-8533497/

“La Crónica de Hoy”, a Mexican newspaper published, on March 29published the article by prominent expert on international relations Beatriz Nadia Pérez Rodríguez “Europe’s turnabout: effects of the war in Ukraine” (“El cambio de rumbo de Europa: efectos de la guerra en Ucrania”). Pérez Rodríguez notifies that the war in Ukraine has started dangerous geopolitical transition and should be ended as soon as possible in order to make the process of global transformation less perilous.

“The war changed priorities, so an immediate solution should be found to avoid further damage. The longer the war lingers on, the more complex it will be for the countries involved in it to achieve a favorable resolution“.

“The redistribution of production worldwide, the conflict in Ukraine and the effects of the pandemic are events that have been rearranging the world whether it will be bipolar, multipolar or, as Esther Barbé mentioned, we will continue in an interpolar world in which the poles of power remain interdependent on each other.

The approach with which this war is resolved will determine the future of the world and will sustain the changes that have already begun, including the aforementioned increase in military spending and security issues, which have never left the international agenda, but have started to be the priority and displaced other important concerns.

The further examination and analysis of the war-resolution issue is necessary to determine the actions and the strategy to follow in order to meet the challenges the war is going to pose for Mexico, the European Union, China, Russia and the United States, mainly, adapting to a world in transformation“. https://www.cronica.com.mx/academia/cambio-rumbo-europa-efectos-guerra-ucrania.html

(Translated from Spanish by IISWU)

2. Economic problems caused by the war in Ukraine

The FrontPage Africa, a Liberian daily newspaper, published on April 6 an article about the dramatic upsurge of egg prices: “Eggs Price Skyrockets; Importers Blame Ukraine War”. It is mentioned in article that eggs remain the main protein source for the most of the Liberian population.

“Eggs, a major source of protein for the Liberian population, are now scarce and expensive. A single egg is sold at the same price as a cup of rice, and for many Liberian families, it is not worth buying an egg when they can buy a cup of rice for the same price – the nation’s staple food”.

“The scarcity of eggs on the Liberian market is alarming, with a single egg being sold at L$50.00, while at some places, it is sold at L$60.00 (1 Liberian Dollar equals approximately 0.006 Euro – IISWU). Fawaz and Sons, a store at the Rally Time Market, had some crates of eggs, and the shopkeeper who only identified himself as Reuben said the egg price is going up because of the war in Ukraine.“Many of the eggs used to come from Ukraine in the past, and each egg at the time used to cost L$30.00, but since the war started in Ukraine, eggs stopped coming from there, so the price is high. We used to buy a crate of eggs for US$3.50, but now we are buying it for US$6.50, and we sell it for US$7.00, which is about L$1,000,” he said”. https://frontpageafricaonline.com/news/liberia-eggs-price-skyrockets-importers-blame-ukraine-war/

2. Impact of the war on relations between the Global South and the West

Cameroon news agency published on its website an article “This is what would have happened if Kamala Harris visited Cameroon” in which the US administration is criticized for pressing on African countries in order to make them refuse from close relations with Russia.

Harris’ trip comes at a time when the US has significantly lost influence across Africa and at a time when the continent has for the most part taken a neutral stand in the war in Ukraine, a position the US finds akin to support for Russia and has been trying to push some countries on the continent to be more overt in their condemnation of Russia. South Africa for example has been scolded by the US for openly conducting naval drills with the Russian navy and while there have been calls from some quarters for South Africa to arrest Putin when he visits South Africa later this year to attend a BRICS summit, South Africa has been very reluctant in outright condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, preferring to look to a time when the former USSR (mainly today’s Russia), supported the anti-Apartheid struggle overtly, when the US and Western allies for the most part were on the fence.

(Translated from Spanish by IISWU)

2. Economic problems caused by the war in Ukraine

2. Impact of the war on relations between the Global South and the West

The Mexican newspaper AM Leon (Periódico AM León, León, Mexico) published on March 26 the article by famous political observer of of Iranian origin (now living in Sweden and the US)Trita Parsi “The United States is not an indispensable mediator” (“Estados Unidos no es un mediador indispensable”). The author argues that the US administration is not going to achieve resolution of the war in Ukraine because it cannot have an independent approach due to its global interests.

“In the recent years, as American foreign policy became militarized and as maintenance of the so-called rules-based order required more and more efforts, the United States placed itself above all rules. The United States seems to have defied the rules and because will not be regarded as a fair mediator”.

“Chinese President Xi Jinping appears to be unfazed. He traveled to Moscow this week and also intends to interact with Zelensky. in what appears to be preparations for an attempt at active mediation to end the war.

Xi managed to bring Iran and Saudi Arabia together precisely because he was not on the side of either. With stubborn discipline, Beijing maintained a neutral position in the disputes between the two countries and did not moralize their conflict or worry about whose side history would take. Nor did China bribe Iran or Saudi Arabia with security guarantees, arms deals, or military bases, as is too often our custom.

Whether Xi’s formula will work to end Russia’s war against Ukraine remains to be seen. But just as a more stable Middle East in which the Saudis and Iranians are not at odds benefits the United States, so will any effort to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table.

“In a multipolar world, shared responsibility for security can be a virtue that reduces the burden on Americans without increasing threats to their interests. It is not security we would give up, but the illusion that we control (and must control) events on foreign soil. For too long, Americans have been told that if we don’t dominate, the world will descend into chaos. In reality, as Chinese mediation has shown, other powers are likely to shoulder the burden of security and pacification”. https://www.am.com.mx/opinion/2023/3/26/estados-unidos-no-es-un-mediador-indispensable-653209.html

(Translated from Spanish by IISWU)