ByHindustan Times
The Russian military invasion of Ukraine is a major setback to the international peace and economy since the onset of the global Covid-19 pandemic. For small States, in particular, this development in principle once again casts a shadow over the collectiveness and effectiveness of multilateral bodies like the United Nations (UN), and, above all, their political independence. It is a failure, on the part of big powers, of collective efforts enshrined in Article 2 of the UN Charter to prevent attack on territorial integrity or political independence of any state and settle international disputes through peaceful measures.
It, however, is not a surprise to small States given their dependency on the nature of international politics, which is shaped by big powers. The critical principles of international peace and cooperation, equality, justice, amicable resolutions of conflicts and respect for human rights are debilitated by provocative actions of big powers which restrict the efficacy of the UN. The UN Security Council (UNSC) failed to adopt a resolution on condemning the Russian military attack on Ukraine in its meeting on February 25 due to the Russian veto against it. It was, then, mandated to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to call the emergency special session (the 11th such meeting in the history of the UN), which convened from February 28 to March 2. The UNGA Resolution on ‘Aggression against Ukraine’ was passed on March 2 which demanded the Russian Federation to withdraw its troops from Ukraine. It was voted by 141 votes in favor, while five countries voted against it, and 35 countries abstained. However, the Ukraine-Russia war is entering its fourth month.
In this context, given the relative weaknesses of other small States in terms of unequal relationships with big powers in international politics, they rely on transparency in application and strengths of international laws, the deterioration of which drags them into the idea of choosing a side in a conflict. The non-observance of the principles of international laws by the big powers make these States vulnerable to external threats. It has also created an anxiety for geographically non-contiguous small States elsewhere. In the 11th emergency special meeting, Malaysia reminded the attendees of being a victim of the conflict in Ukraine when its flight MH17 was shot down in 2014 which killed 298 people. Nonetheless, given the complex interdependence of the global economy and multiple-centres of powers in international politics, it seems unlikely to push different States into a strictly bi-polar divide.
Further, the Ukraine crisis has disrupted global supply chain networks, thereby, increasing prices for essential commodities like foods. The vice president of GEP, Volker Roelofsen refers to the rise of food prices such as wheat increased by 16.5% and sunflower oil by 5.9% during the period of February 21-24. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) data states that Ukraine and Russia together account for about 30% and 20% of global wheat and maize exports, respectively over the past three years. Together, they constitute the largest exporter of sunflower seed oil with 80% of global exports. The FAO Cereal Price Index was a little above 17% higher in March than in February in the wake of the Ukraine crisis. In 2022, Europe, which imports one-fourth of its energy oil and more than one-third of its gas from Russia, is buying gas at an increased price by 70%, according to Roelofsen.
It has afflicted to the already fluctuating global commodity prices as per UNCTAD report, 2022 on building resilience in small island developing states. The price rise is in addition to impact of Covid-19 on essential commodities. The representative of Antigua and Barbuda quotes an UNCTAD report that Covid-19 caused a 7.5% rise in essential commodities in small island states. FAO chief economist, Maximo Torero states that North Africa is completely dependent on the imports of wheat from the Ukraine and Russia. Indonesia imports 30% of its wheat from these countries. Torero acknowledges that about 50 countries have a 30% dependency of cereals from the two countries and more than 26 countries import above 50% of cereals from these two countries.
As a response to the Ukraine conflict, the small states under the UNGA Resolution of March 2 have united with an approach defined by the ‘multilateral opinion’ of ‘might is not right’, irrespective of the problem collective action under the multilateral organisation. They promoted a diplomatic approach to conflicts without having to choose sides for conflict resolutions, and reinforced the guiding principles of the Charter of the UN. Thus, the representative of Antigua and Barbuda stated during the UNGA emergency special meeting that, “This is a crisis for all of us, and we all must speak out for diplomacy and support this resolution”. Since the defenders of peace and its offenders often remain the same within the Security Council, the demand for a reformation of the UNSC by Papua New Guinea and Paraguay is relevant. Paraguay advocates negotiation based on international mechanisms, the UN Charter and relevant UN resolutions. Dominican Republic, a developing economy also calls for diplomatic negotiations to resolve disputes and that “all countries, big and small, have the responsibility and the duty to respect the Charter of the United Nations,” underscoring that “these values are non-negotiable”.
A different approach is adopted by Singapore, a small island nation-Sate without sufficient natural resources and the survival of which depends on international trade and commerce. Singapore’s dependency on international trade makes it indispensable in supporting ‘multilateral opinion’ expressed in the UN Resolution of March 2. While other Association for South East Asian Nations (Asean) countries supported dialogue and diplomacy but showed reluctant to name Russia against its military action, Singapore condemned Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Along the line of the multilateral opinion, Singapore has imposed sanctions on Russia like banking and financial transactions as well as export controls on selected items which could potentially be used against Ukraine. Other Asean countries urged for a de-escalation of the conflict and observance of international laws. During the emergency special meeting, Timore-Leste highlighted that human rights violation in the war has taken a toll on the Ukrainian civilians and urged for an immediate ceasefire.
Strengthening of the principles of peaceful settlement of international disputes in a regional community such as CARICOM or Caribbean Community, as invoked by Saint Vincent and the Grenadines during the emergency special meeting and Asean community according to the 1982 Manila Declaration, as reminded by the Philippines could generate a position of strength for the small States. In this way, the small States can form cohesive groups in order to positively contribute toward conflict resolutions. They can also withstand from global economic shocks through promotion of their collective interests.
The first two decades of the 21st century are replete with examples of such violation of peace and political independence wherein the bigger powers flatten the very essence of territorial integrity and sovereignty. Given the limited human and other material resources, small States strongly believe in multilateralism or multilateral diplomacy in order to further their national interests. It instills confidence in their international positions advancing collective actions in order to strengthen their security and development through multilateral processes.
(The article has been authored by Mehdi Hussain is assistant professor, Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi and PhD research scholar, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi)
