Since the Russian forces of ‘Vlad the Invader’ entered into Ukrainian territory and started destroying and killing…the reports from the MSM has told us that the West, maybe the world, is unified against Russia…. but is that true?
Well not exactly…..
Edward Luce thinks what Russia is doing in Ukraine is “barbaric” and the West’s united condemnation is laudable. But in an essay at the Financial Times, Luce warns that the West is, again, “mistaking its own unity for a global consensus.” Consider the recent UN vote in which 141 of 193 condemned Russia’s actions. That sounds overwhelming, but “the 35 that abstained account for almost half the world’s population,” writes Luce. “That includes China, India, Vietnam, Iraq and South Africa. If you add those that voted with Russia, it comes to more than half.” What’s more, some big nations that seem to be on the anti-Russia side of the ledger are, in fact, “hedging their bets.” In this camp, Luce puts Saudi Arabia, which along with the United Arab Emirates, snubbed President Biden on a request to ramp up oil production.
Much of the world is waiting to see how the war plays out, because “everybody loves a winner,” writes Luce. “The bigger abstainers, such as India, which has quadrupled its oil imports from Russia at a discount compared to this time last year, would adjust their stance, which is causing anguish in Washington.” The West is claiming the moral high ground, but others don’t see it that way, or they see the West’s stance as hypocritical given military actions in Iraq and elsewhere. So, yes, the West’s “response to Putin’s barbarism has been admirable,” concludes Luce. “But it is inevitably selective. The more Western governments grasp how large parts of the world see them, the better able they will be to practice effective diplomacy.”
(Read the full essay.)
The media would have us believe that the world is in complete agreement on the conflict, that Russia is the aggressor, which it is, ….but sadly the world is not in complete agreement….the media has failed to generate worldwide cohesion against Russia for their invasion of Ukraine.
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“lego ergo scribo”
In Saner Thought 
The point you make I agree, and I would venture to suggest this is a result of the globalism of the past couple decades. It makes the critical point that while there is a wonderful Kumbaya with the expansion of international economic trade there also needs to be a political.. and maybe even a military… consideration working in the background to insure a measure of world security. One presumes that would be through the UN… and yes there’s a lot of current shortcomings with the UN but that’s largely with the lack of member nations support to give it deferens largely with the makeup Security Council… a whole other story there. I am just not wondering if we need (meaning “we”, the world) to consider a universal application in which admission to the UN requires a representative government of some sort…. in other words, a government not ruled only by an authoritarian form, whether by an individual or a ruling class, be it a monarchy or some theocratic expression. I dunno.. just a speculation that with the conflict in Ukraine that maybe the world has reached this time where we need a unified need for world security.
The UN could be a real power for change….but first the Security Council needs to be changed or eliminated….NO one country should have that much power. chuq
Agreed. But it seems if you have nukes.. then you have power in the UN.
Probably…..for the SC is full of nuke powers….another reason it should go the way of the dodo……chuq
I watched a late report on the BBC last night. It was from India, and they were asking a politician why they supported Russia by default. He replied that in his eyes, they were no worse than the Western actions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and The Balkans. India relies on Russia for agricultural produce, aid for infrastructure, tanks, planes, and weapons, as well as cheap oil and LNG. India sees Russia as a more ‘reliable ally’ than the Western Powers. He added that the same attitude exists in Pakistan.
Best wishes, Pete.
Modi has a point…..the US is not a trustworthy…..we change with the money…..chuq
Pete.. I made two replies over on your blog.. and the usual, if I am on my laptop in the car it never posts well on your blog. Check your spam.
Done that, and you are not there. Nor in Trash Folder. The comments have vanished!
Time for the US to stick it to India. No moe damned Indian-owned hotels or convenience stores inside the USA. Let them buy those things in their beloved Russia.