Russian diplomat expulsions signal crude side of Western intention

Source:Global Times Published: 2018/3/27 8:00:15

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On March 26, the US, Canada, and several European Union countries expelled Russian

 diplomats from their respective foreign embassies and consulates in retaliation against 

Russia's alleged poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter. 

 As of this writing, 19 countries, including 15 EU member states, have shown their support

 to Great Britain by enforcing such measures.

On March 4, Skripal and his daughter Yulia were rushed to a hospital after they were found

 unconscious at a park in Salisbury. It was later reported the father and daughter had

 come into contact with an obscure nerve agent. UK government officials said the

 Skripals were attacked by "Novichok," a powerful Soviet-era chemical nerve agent 

used by the military.

The British government did not provide evidence that linked Russia to the crime but

 was confident from the beginning there could be no other "reasonable explanation" 

for the attempted assassination. Great Britain was so convinced of their Russia

 theory, they wasted no time taking the lead in levying sanctions against the country

 by quickly expelling Russian diplomats from London.  Shortly afterwards, UK 

capital officials reached out to NATO and their European allies who provided

 immediate support. 

The accusations that Western countries have hurled at Russia are based on ulterior 

motives, similar to how the Chinese use the expression "perhaps it's true" to seize upon

 the desired opportunity. From a third-person perspective, the principles and diplomatic

 logic behind such drastic efforts are flawed, not to mention that expelling Russian diplomats

 almost simultaneously isa crude form of behavior. Such actions make little impact

 other than increasing hostility and hatred between Russia and their Western counterparts.

The UK government should have an independent investigation conducted into the Skripal

 poisoning by representatives from the international community. An effort such as this

 would provide results strong enough for those following the case to make up their minds

 on who should or shouldn't be accused of the crime. Now, the majority of those who

 support Britain's one-sided conclusion happen to be members of NATO and the

 EU, while others stood behind the UK due to long-standing relations.

The fact that major Western powers can gang up and "sentence" a foreign country without

 following the same procedures other countries abide by and according to the basic tenets

 of international law is chilling. During the Cold War, not one Western nation would have

 dared to make such a provocation and yet today it is carried out with unrestrained ease. 

Such actions are nothing more than a form of Western bullying that threatens global

 peace and justice.

Over the past few years the international standard has been falsified and manipulated 

in ways never seen before. The fundamental reason behind reducing global standards

 is rooted in post-Cold War power disparities. The US, along with their allies, jammed their

 ambitions into the international standards so their actions, which were supposed to follow

 a set of standardized procedures and protocol, were really nothing more than profit-seizing

 opportunities designed only for themselves.  These same Western nations activated

 in full-force public opinion-shaping platforms and media agencies to defend and justify 

such privileges.

As of late, more foreign countries have been victimized by Western rhetoric and 

nonsensical diplomatic measures. In the end, the leaders of these nations are forced 

to wear a hat featuring slogans and words that read "oppressing their own people

," "authoritarian," or "ethnic cleansing," regardless of their innocence.  

It is beyond outrageous how the US and Europe have treated Russia. Their actions

 represent a frivolity and recklessness that has grown to characterize Western hegemony

 that only knows how to contaminate international relations. Right now is the perfect 

time for non-Western nations to strengthen unity and collaborative efforts among one 

another. These nations need to establish a level of independence outside the reach 

of Western influence while breaking the chains of monopolization declarations,

 predetermined adjudications, and come to value their own judgement abilities.

It's already understood that to achieve such international collective efforts is easier 

said than done as they require foundational support before anything can happen. 

Until a new line of allies emerges, multi-national associations like BRICS, or even the 

Shanghai Cooperation Organization, need to provide value to those non-Western

 nations and actively create alliances with them.

What Russia is experiencing right could serve as a reflection of how other non-Western

 nations can expect to be treated in the not-to-distant future.  Expelling Russian diplomats

 simultaneously is hardly enough to deter Russia. Overall, it's an intimidation tactic that

 has become emblematic of Western nations, and furthermore, such measures are

 not supported by international law and therefore unjustified. More importantly, 

the international community should have the tools and means to counterbalance

 such actions.

The West is only a small fraction of the world and is nowhere near the global 

representative it once thought it was.  

The silenced minorities within the international community need

 to realize this and prove just how deep their understanding is of such a realization

 by proving it to the world through action. With the Skripal case, the general public does 

not know the truth, and the British government has yet to provide a shred of evidence

 justifying their allegations against Russia. 

It is firmly believed that accusations levied by one country to another that are not the

 end results of a thorough and professional investigation should not be encouraged. 

Simultaneously expelling diplomats is a form of uncivilized behavior that needs to 

be abolished immediately.

Posted in: EDITORIAL

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