Thread by @SiaAkermark

Why should the rest of the world care about a war in Europe? In the view of some commentators too much public attention is directed to the war in #Ukraine. In this🧵I discuss some aspects of the argument. If you are in a hurry, go to Tweet No 12 ff. @fredsinstitutet 1/

While #war involves breaches of rules & pain, such commentators, remind of continued human suffering in places such as Yemen, Syria, Myanmar, Libya, Ethiopia, the DR Congo and many other parts of the world. This is an important critique that needs to be considered seriously. 2/

There is implicit accusation in this thought, that #Europe is in any case Eurocentric and that ‘the west’ only protects its own interests. This is an argument about legal #proportionality and #moral discrepancy. #InternationalLaw 3/

After all, there have been many occasions in past 30 years where the '#West '(meaning i.a. USA, NATO, #EuropeanUnion, large #European countries) has used armed force around the world with little sound and legally tenable #justification, remind such voices, incl. @ashoswai 4/

#Iraq & #Afghanistan (for both of which year 2003 was fatal) are among the cases most often mentioned, alongside bombing of #Belgrade in March 1999 following atrocities against Albanians & opening for the recognition of #Kosovo by many ‘western’ and affiliated states. 5/

According to @hrw at least 500 was the death toll of the Belgrade bombing by Nato, even though estimates vary greatly. The Yugoslav wars remind us starkly that this is not the first time that there is war and death in #Europe in the past decades. 6/ balkaninsight.com/2019/03/22/78-…

Uppsala Conflict Database reports 124.080 deaths in #Iraq since 1991, with 1991, 2014-2017 being the bloodiest years. In often forgotten war in #Yemen there are already more than 32.000 dead with most occurring after 2015. 7/ 👉
ucdp.uu.se/country/645 & ucdp.uu.se/country/678

More than 278.783 casualties in war in Afghanistan since 1989, with years 2014-2019 as deadliest. The agreement between the Taliban & USA in early 2020 meant the withdrawal of forces under chaotic circumstances in summer 2021 & little coordination w. NATO allies & partners. 8/

So, the ‘west’, contributed to human suffering & #InternationalLaw violations through an extensive understanding of use of force. To these proactive usages of violence, one may add slow and inadequate reaction to the genocide in #Rwanda, resulting in more than 500.000 deaths. 9/

Does the #UkraineWar deserve the great attention it attracts as compared to many other wars? At a psychological level we are of course always at centre of our own universe why it is self-evident that #Europeans and ‘the west’ care heavily about what takes place in #Europe. 10/

It is perhaps more surprising, however, that all those that have previously shown little interest re. 'Eastern' Europe & about #Ukraine, now (finally) exhibit engagement in the on-going war and support for Ukrainians & the plight of countries such as #Moldova and #Georgia. 11/

In spite of the above, I claim that we all, around the world, should care a lot about what is happening in & around the #war in #Ukraine. For the following reasons that all have to do with the position and future of a rules-based international order & #InternationalLaw 12/

Following the principle 'ex injuria non jus oritur' it is not permissible to rely on past violations of the rules (e.g. by US, Ukraine or the west) to legitimise & justify new violations such as Russian #Aggression. This is also why recognition of Kosovo remains problematic. 13/

Two Minsk agreements (2014 & 2015) failed to offer ground for resolving the disputes that arose after occupation of #Crimea & the status of the separatist regions (oblast) of Donetsk & Luhansk in #Ukraine. Blame is not solely on side of #Russia. 14/ chathamhouse.org/2020/05/minsk-…

According to Uppsala Conflict Database @UU_Peace more than 7.000 people has been the death toll in the conflict in Eastern #Ukraine since 2014. 15/ 👉ucdp.uu.se

Surprisingly perhaps Putin made effort to justify & explain the war in speech of Febr. 21st. This shows that even superpowers feel bound by the moral force of global rules of #InternationalLaw, even as they clearly abuse them. #Russia 16/ spectator.co.uk/article/full-t…

Whether Putin’s justificatory arguments are directed towards a Russian or a global audience remains open. Probably both, as international support is needed for instance in the process of #recognition of Donetsk & Luhansk. Domestically, Putin must avoid wide opposition to war. 17/

Already more than 3.000 people have been reportedly arrested in Russia in demonstrations against the war. More than 900.000 have signed the petition initiated by human rights activist Lev Ponomarev in #Russia 18/
change.org/p/%D0%BE%D1%81…

Putin’s arguments rest on 2 legal grounds, a) pre-emptive self-defence vis à vis expansion of NATO; b) assistance to separatist minorities in Donetsk & Luhansk (i.e. collective self-defence if the 2 entities are legitimate or, otherwise, couched as humanitarian intervention).19/

Most #InternationalLaw-yers today reject both a pre-emptive self-defence argument and a collective self-defence argument triggered by non-recognised entities. The humanitarian intervention argument of #Russia is also considered as unsubstantiated. 20/ ejiltalk.org/what-is-russia…

In addition, the extent & mode of the aggression are found unproportional & inappropriate. The Russian arguments do not meet the requirements of the UN Charter, argue those that defend a restrictive use of force approach. 21/ Photo from: legal.un.org/avl/ha/cun/cun…

Putin said in speech 21/2 that expansion of NATO & western uninterest for Russian concerns ‘has led to the fact that the previous treaties & agreements are no longer in effect’. It remains unclear what Putin really aims at since he also refers to outcomes of WWII as crucial. 22/

So, if countries across the world want a #Rules -based international order to be upheld, they must do two things in tandem. Criticise ‘the west’ for its inconsistencies & defend the principle of territorial integrity and sovereign equality for #Ukraine & for all countries. 23/

This was the dual effort of Kenyan Ambassador Martin Kimani in his recent viral UN Security Council speech, pointing at colonial violations but with pragmatic priority to #PeaceNotWar . 24/ @UN #Kenya