Russia/Ukraine Conflict

In this part of the world there is the misconception by many that because we are located thousands of miles from Russia and the Ukraine, we will be unaffected by events unfolding. This is far from the truth given the interdependence of the global economy and how unrest fueled by war and rumours of war will further disrupt supply chains and cause volatility in financial markets. Also important is how East West tensions may erase the gains achieved at détente since the Cold War period.

Whether we believe Putin is a warmonger given his paideia that the attempt by former Soviet Union States – now sovereign states – pose a threat to Mother Russia because of potential membership in NATO, fear of growing democracies on Russia’s border or how it may influence the totalitarian system practiced by Russia – these are not exhaustive concerns, these are legitimate concerns.

What we know if Newton’s third law is loosely applied – “for every action in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction”. We have awakened to the news of EU and US in discussions to apply unprecedented sanctions on Russia. Russia is no stranger to suffering sanctions from the West. The annexation of Crimea by Russia is well documented. It is being reported Russia has accumulated 600 billions in reserves to mitigate economic sanctions. This will be a long fight with potential significant fallout for the global economy at the current rate of escalation.

So far the other other major economic power in the world has been reluctant to throw the bear to the wolves. Pundits have been opining that China has formed an alliance with Russia which maybe the comfort President of Russia Vladimir Putin needed to pursue his objectives by invading Ukraine. 

What is amusing to the blogmaster is to listen to commentators using the sovereignty argument to criticize Putin. Others have invoked violation of UN Charters. Where were the same commentators when the USA and friendlies invaded Iraq on the pretext Saddam Hussein had amassed weapons of mass destruction (WMD)? The blogmaster is not intending to endorse policies of either side in the conflict only to respond to positions being taken based on ignorance.

In this part of the world we have to be concerned if military conflict continues to ramp up. In recent days Minister Kerri Symmonds alluded to an urgency for Barbados to increase local production of crude to 200 a barrels by ‘milking’ old wells. Bare in mind we continue to negotiate a pandemic and Barbados along with other economies in the region – defined as open economies – will buffet with the potential to capsize in a global economic storm. 

In the world of geopolitics small islands in the Caribbean have no real voice or influence in the sphere of geopolitics. With the UN Security Council polarized the region must be very careful how we shape a position on the conflict. There is the saying when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.

347 thoughts on “Russia/Ukraine Conflict


  1. @ 555 dubstreet February 27, 2022 10:46 AM
    “What is the ‘Dawning of the age of Aquarius’ and when will it happen?
    Has it happened before?”
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Very insightful there, Kiki!

    And Every Age of the Sun must have a (re) start, a new set of false gods and an inevitable (temporary) End.

    Maybe you can teach your spiritually naive friend Georgie Porgie a thing about the Ages so he can seek to find the key to addressing the query posed to him involving Jesus foretelling his 12 disciples of his coming (again) and the Main sign to look for:

    “And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare?

    And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in.”

    Maybe, dubstreet, the Days of the Two Fishes and the Fisherman are closing in and in the calamitous throes of its death the bearer of that pitcher with spiritual water (knowledge) is at the gate waiting on you and others to enter.


  2. Kiki…got a long way to go, still searching..

    .i have reached that plateau…thanks to ancestral guidance, a very long time ago…


  3. “.i have reached that plateau…thanks to ancestral guidance, a very long time ago…”

    you do like to blow your trumpet but you ain’t all that
    information you claim enlightened you is available for all
    people are people all are equal in the sequel


  4. RE Well, they gave us the LITTLE KNOWN Deborah and THE PROSTITUTE, Rahab
    DEBORAH IS CELEBRATED FROM HER DAY UNTIL NOW BY SERIOUS SCHOLARS OF THE SCRIPTURE

    THE PROSTIUTE RAHAB HAS MORE SCRIPTEURES ASCRIBED TO HERE THAN EVEN EVE- THE MOTHER OF ALL LIVING
    NOT ONLY IS SHE EXTOLLED IN JAMES AS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF FAITH, RAHAB (and her daughter in law, and son) IS ONE OF ONLY FIVE WOMEN IN MATTHEW’S GENEALOGY OF THE LORD

    THIS IS CONSIDERED AND OUTSTANDING FEAT IN ITSELF AS WOMEN DID NOT TRADITIONALLY APPEAR IN JEWISH GENEALOGIES

    THIS POST WILL GET TEK DOWN CAUSE PEOPLE HERE ARE NOT INTERESTED IN HEARING TRUTH, BUT YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK THE TRUTH WHEN CLIQUE MEMBERS ERR

    BUT AS A SERIOUS SCHOLAR WHO USES THE BIOGRAPHICAL METHOD OF BIBLE STUDY I CAN SPEAK ON THESE MATTERS WITH OUT FEAR OF CONTRADICTION.

    A GOOD TEXT TO READ IS ” ALL THE WOMEN OF THE BIBLE”

    STEUPS


  5. RAHAB and her daughter in law, and son ARE ALL IN MATTHEW’S GENEALOGY OF THE LORD—THAT TO ME IS MOST EXCITING
    RAHAB IS ONE OF ONLY FIVE WOMEN IN MATTHEW’S GENEALOGY OF THE LORD
    THE PROMINENCE OF RAHAB IN SCRIPTURE REVEALS THE IMPORTANCE THAT GOD HAS BESTOWED ON BOTH WOMEN AND SINNERS OF ALL TYPES
    IN JOHN 4 WE READ OF A WOMAN THAT JESUS WENT OUT OF THE WAY TO MEET AND BRING TO FAITH . THIS WOMAN IS SAID TO HAVE HAD FIVE FAILED MARRIAGES


  6. “you do like to blow your trumpet ”

    and you don’t blow yours, broke back wuss…always claiming this and that…


  7. At first I thought the African students were silly for getting stuck there, but on NPR (National Public Radio) I heard that some had just two or three months left to graduate after spending up to 5 years there.

    A complicated benefit/risk calculation.


  8. “and you don’t blow yours”

    I am an intellectual and a writer who is enlightened and think I am wonderful

    you are not an intellectual or a writer and are unenlightened and not wonderful

    arguing and saying opposite to everything is as easy as 123 you damn plagiariser

    I am a heavyweight champion and you are a bum and a lightweight


  9. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Sunday, adding that Brazil would “adopt a neutral stance on Ukraine” and will not impose sanctions on Russia.

    Speaking at a news conference while on vacation, Bolsonaro said Ukrainians had “trusted a comedian with the fate of a nation” — referring to Zelensky’s former career as an actor and comedian.
    He also pointed out that Brazil is dependent on Russian fertilizer, and that action against Moscow “could bring serious harm to agriculture in Brazil.” He added that he was in support of peace — “but we don’t want to bring more problems to Brazil.”

    When questioned about a possible massacre in Ukraine, Bolsonaro said it was “an exaggeration to speak of massacre,” and defended Russia’s move to recognize the pro-Moscow separatist regions of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine as independent.

    Bolsonaro met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on a visit to Moscow on Feb. 16.

    The Brazilian President’s comments Sunday came after the United Nations Security Council voted by majority to hold an emergency meeting today to discuss Russia’s invasion. Brazil voted in favor of holding the meeting while Russia voted against it. India, China and the UAE abstained


  10. Zelenskyy grew up in Kryvyi Rih, a Russian-speaking region in southeastern Ukraine.[3] Prior to his acting career, Zelenskyy obtained a degree in law from the Kyiv National Economic University. He then pursued comedy and created the production company Kvartal 95, which produces films, cartoons, and TV shows including Servant of the People, in which Zelenskyy played the role of president of Ukraine. The series aired from 2015 to 2019 and was immensely popular. A political party bearing the same name as the television show was created in March 2018 by employees of Kvartal 95.

    Zelenskyy announced his candidacy for the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election on the evening of 31 December 2018, alongside the New Year’s Eve address of President Petro Poroshenko on 1+1 TV Channel. A political outsider, he had already become one of the frontrunners in opinion polls for the election. He won the election with 73.2 per cent of the vote in the second round, defeating Poroshenko. Identifying as a populist, he has positioned himself as an anti-establishment, anti-corruption figure.

    As president, Zelenskyy has been a proponent of e-government and unity between the Ukrainian-speaking and Russian-speaking parts of the country’s population.[4] His communication style heavily utilises social media, particularly Instagram.[5] His party won a landslide victory in a snap legislative election held shortly after his inauguration as president. During his administration, Zelenskyy oversaw the lifting of legal immunity for members of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament,[6] the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic recession, and some progress in tackling corruption.[7][8] Critics of Zelenskyy claim that in taking power away from the Ukrainian oligarchs, he has sought to centralise authority and strengthen his personal position.[9]

    Zelenskyy promised to end Ukraine’s protracted conflict with Russia as part of his presidential campaign, and attempted to engage in dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.[10] Zelenskyy’s administration faced an escalation of tensions with Russia in 2021, culminating in the launch of an ongoing full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. Zelenskyy’s strategy during the Russian military buildup was to calm the Ukrainian populace and assure the international community that Ukraine was not seeking to retaliate.[11] He initially distanced himself from warnings of an imminent war, while also calling for security guarantees and military support from NATO to “withstand” the threat.[3] After the commencement of the invasion, Zelenskyy declared martial law across Ukraine and general mobilisation.

The blogmaster dares you to join the discussion.