Opinion | Multilateralism on the rise: Lula calls for 'dialogue' to achieve peace in Ukraine
By Augustus K. Yeung
INTRODUCTION
The United Nation's General Assembly has become a townhall where world and regional leaders have come to oppose the United States for waging war in Ukraine and threatening peace in Okinawa.
Issues that center on the themes of war and peace are existentially vital. The conflict in Ukraine is a case in point. Had the United Nations been healthy enough to ward off U.
S. hegemony, leaders would have been able to discuss, debate and hold dialogues to reach a peaceful solution.
The expansion of BRICS has emboldened Lula of Brazil to speak up against U.S. unilateralism. It is Brazil's turn to chair the BRICS+ summit and that of the G20 next year. And so, the Brazilian president is being vocal and sounding like a Global South bloc leader.
President Lula is calling for 'dialogue' to achieve peace in Ukraine, echoing China's incessant efforts to mediate between Russia and Ukraine.
In fact, it is not just the world leader, regional and local leaders, too, are speaking up for the people who intend to fight U.S. military atrocity and crimes against humanity.
In a rare moment, the people of Okinawa, too, were represented by their governor, who spoke in UN, accusing the US military of forever base-building – which threatens civilian peace in the region.
Below are two English-language newspaper articles – reporting on the themes of war and peace in support of the argument that the world is now fully aware of the serious harm of U.S. hegemony, collectively calling for multilateralism, peacekeeping and observance of human rights.
Lula calls for 'dialogue' to achieve peace in Ukraine.
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva yesterday called for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, saying "no solution will be lasting if it is not based on dialogue."
Addressing the UN General Assembly, Lula said: "I have reiterated that work needs to be done to create space for negotiations."
He added: "A lot is invested in weapons and very little in development!"
Lula, who has faced accusations in the West of being soft on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, is scheduled to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the General Assembly.
Zelensky had previously sought a meeting with Lula at the G7 summit in Japan in May, but the attempt fizzled.
Relations are tense between Zelensky and Lula, who has said that the Ukrainian leader is "as responsible" for the war as Russian President Vladimir Putin – and has refused to join Western nations in imposing sanctions on Russia or supplying munitions to Ukraine.
Lula has sought to position Brazil as a potential mediator in the conflict, along with other "neutral" countries, including China, India and Indonesia. (Source: AFP)
Okinawa governor: US military base threatens peace.
Japan's Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki told a UN session on Monday in Switzerland that the concentration of US military bases in the southern prefecture threatens peace.
He also expressed his opposition to the Japanese government's plan – to build a new US military base – despite public concerns. Local media reported.
Tamaki made the remarks while delivering a speech at a UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, addressing the worrying trend of increasing military power and building up tensions in Japan's surrounding areas – which runs counter to the wishes of the people of Okinawa who long for peace.
Commenting on the US base relocation project in the Henoko coastal area of Nago, he said that the Japanese government is forcibly filling in precious sea areas to build a new US military base, regardless of the opinions of residents in Okinawa.
Before his speech, Tamaki also met with the UN special rapporteur and reported issues, including excessive levels of toxic per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances being detected in water around US military bases in Japan.
In 2015, former Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga at the council accused the US and Japanese governments of ignoring and violating the rights of Okinawa residents, calling on the international community to take measures to support the Okinawa people's efforts to fight for self-determination.
The island prefecture of Okinawa hosts 70 percent of all the US military bases in Japan while accounting for only 0.6 percent of the country's total land area. More than 70 percent of local residents opposed the base construction on the Henoko landfill. (Source: Xinhua)
CONCLUSION
This is the best of times for world leaders and regional residents and the worst of times for the U.S. military complex at the United Nations – where complaints are hitting the ceilings.
In addition to the Brazilian president pouring his grievances against the US, the Governor of Okinawa and its residents are sharing with the world their fears of the U.S. military bring war to their land – by building bases and yet for more.
Asia-Pacific has no mood, no motivation and no more space for militarization. The residents of Okinawa through their Governor have made it clear that militarization – by way of building a new military base is not welcome there. And certainly, in Ukraine – where millions of people have lost their homes – and more and more Ukrainian refugees are fleeing overseas, resulting in broken families, threatening food shortages in Africa, and rising inflations world-wide.
Naturally, opposing U.S. militarization is the right move. But, more importantly, the U.S. must examine the ever expansion of its military, especially its annual budget, which has topped 800 billion dollars.
The United States military has been waging one war after another since the end of World War II. In recent years, more and more former US allies are quietly showing signs of alienation or even contempt.
Many developing countries have turned to China, a country which has been working and sweating to save the United Nations from being further hijacked by the United States – as its miliary is now a well-known monstrous warmonger worldwide on record.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
To contact the writer, please direct email: AugustusKYeung@ymail.com
Read more articles by Augustus K. Yeung:
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