For some time, it's been apparent that the world's nations are not meeting the growing challenges to human survival. Among the key challenges are the growing destructiveness of modern war (and, especially nuclear war), environmental catastrophe, and the rise of rightwing nationalism. But there are indications -- both past and present -- that humanity has the capacity to avert disaster.
Published Articles by Lawrence Wittner
Although, according to the UN Charter, the United Nations was established to "maintain international peace and security," it has often fallen short of this goal, largely because of the hobbling of the UN Security Council. Even so, new ways have been emerging to provide the United Nations with the ability to take effective action in world affairs.
Vlad the Conqueror laments the fickleness of public opinion -- so easily distracted by the military conquests of inferior leaders -- as well as the lack of appreciation by Ukrainians and Russians for his grandeur. He wonders: Is that the way to treat a great ruler?
Russia's war upon Ukraine has continued for nearly two years, with terrible human and economic consequences. Thus far, a Russian veto in the UN Security Council has blocked that international entity from imposing a settlement of the war. But the UN Charter states that a party to a dispute before the Security Council shall abstain from voting on it. And, in fact, such abstention was practiced for years within the Security Council. Therefore, both international law and precedent point toward the United Nations taking action to establish a just peace in Ukraine.
The United States and China lead the world by far in their number of billionaires. These extraordinarily wealthy people in both nations have a lot more in common with each other than with their fellow citizens.
Although international anarchy has long been recognized as facilitating global conflict, attempts to jettison it have not gone very far. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Russian invasion and occupation of Ukraine, and the renewed nuclear arms race exemplify the willingness of nations to flagrantly violate international law when it suits their purposes. Therefore, if international security is to be attained, international law must be enforced by strengthened international organization.
The horrific Ukraine War is but the latest canary in the international coal mine -- the danger signal that people of all nations should recognize as indicating the necessity for moving beyond national isolation and, through a strengthened United Nations, beginning a new era of global responsibility, cooperation, and security.
September 2023 is the sixtieth anniversary of U.S. and Soviet ratification of the world's first significant nuclear arms control agreement, the Partial Test Ban Treaty. The history of this treaty and its successors shows us that arms control and disarmament treaties have helped to curb the nuclear arms race and prevent nuclear war. Similarly, the revived march toward nuclear catastrophe can be halted by finally banning nuclear weapons -- if people will demand it.
In recent decades, a segment of the global Left has looked upon the U.S. government as the Great Satan in international affairs, responsible for the world's major ills. This warped vision became particularly apparent during the Russian government's military invasion, occupation, and annexation of Ukraine, when major organizations with this worldview, although supposedly antiwar and anti-imperialist, focused their criticism on the U.S. government, NATO, and Ukraine and gave the Putin regime a free pass for its imperialist aggression.
The release of the film, Oppenheimer, focused on the life of "the father of the atomic bomb," should help to remind us of how badly the development of modern weapons has played out for individuals and for all of humanity. But it's not too late to do something about that.