We are nearing the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II, a time marked by unprecedented unity between the governments of the Allied forces in their victory over Nazism. But not everything in the post-war period worked out well. The 45-year Cold War that ensued was one of the worst consequences.
But during this difficult time, there were many initiatives to advance collective security, the universal basis of human rights, disarmament and equitable globalization — all of which found their ultimate expression in the founding and functioning of the United Nations in 1945. This led in turn to the establishment of an effective system of international law, and the basic principles and mandatory provisions of the UN served as its foundation and the platform for its further development. The UN helped solve important issues such as decolonization, the demilitarization of space, nuclear nonproliferation, drug trafficking, organized crime, international terrorism, AIDS and other epidemics, famine and environmental problems.
Nonetheless, the first decade of the 21st century was full of examples of destructive and harmful actions caused by the egoism of a host of countries and organizations, including the United States, NATO and the European Union. These included double standards in foreign policy, legal nihilism, ineffective diplomacy, discriminatory behavior in global trade and other negative actions. And even the authority of the UN, other intergovernmental organizations and the basic principles of international law could not mitigate the negative consequences that those actions had on certain countries and institutions. This led to the frequent paralysis of international organizations and institutions in reacting to urgent challenges and threats and reduced the level of trust and cooperation between states and other participants in global policy.
Now we must ask how we can bridge the new divide that has formed and avoid building another Berlin Wall? The answer is to return to the lessons of history, and these boil down to the simple but timeless axiom that we must listen to one another. We must look objectively at history and acknowledge the role that historical events have played in Russia’s development and in the development of other democratic states. It is these states that carried, and still do carry, the global responsibility for upholding and maintaining modern international law.
This cooperative approach stands in contrast to the Russophobia displayed by certain states. It is no coincidence that these include the “young democracies” — namely Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland — that have armed themselves with neo-
conservative ideas and Cold War principles and perpetuate and cultivate the spirit of historical revenge. They accuse the former Soviet Union and Russia of having inflicted moral and material damage to a host of countries.
In their struggle against historical truths, they have enlisted the support of such international organizations as the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the European Parliament and NATO. Powerful, anti-Russian lobbies in the United States have supported these efforts.
But on the eve of this year’s most important event — the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II — all sensible parties should reject this provocation and create or renew an atmosphere of understanding and cooperation and commit to unconditional observance of the fundamental principles of international law and the provisions of the UN Charter.
The international community has an opportunity to begin developing a world order that would harmonize the interests of all sovereign states and utilize the potential possessed by every country, people and international organization for building a peaceful world. Now is a good time for the UN to adopt a Global Charter of Peace, Cooperation and Security as an act of reconciliation and partnership based on justice and law. That document should become the blueprint for the vital activity of the global community to achieve the goals of the 21st century.
Vasily Likhachev, formerly Russia’s ambassador and permanent representative to the European Union in Brussels, is deputy chairman of the International Affairs Committee in the Federation Council.