Great Expectations from the Summit of the G-77 Group in Havana Interact with Trends in Global Political Realities

The AIM Network

2 years ago

By Denis Bright

The prospects for commitment to UN General Assembly’s sustainment development forum are being thwarted by a sharp escalation of the war in Ukraine. From the hard-line rhetoric in support of military solutions at the Security Council to surprise missile attacks on the headquarters of the Black Sea Naval Command at Sevastopol in the Crimea, the drums of war are being played with more militancy.

Addressing both the UN General Assembly and the Security Council, President Zelenskyy demanded only a complete cessation of a Russian influence in both the contested territories of Donetsk and the Crimean Peninsula.

Prior to the Ukrainian elections in 2019, Voldymyr Zelenskyy came to fame as a comedian, actor and television producer in the fictional Ukrainian television series Servant of the People. In this series, Volodymyr Zelenskyy played the fictional role of high school teacher Vasyl Holoborodko whose patriotic rants against corruption propelled this fictional character into politics.

After some initial ambiguities from the Biden Administration on the supply of medium range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine, The Guardian (24 September 2023) offered this news punchline that coincided with reports on a direct missile hit on naval headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol:

US president Joe Biden has decided to supply Ukraine with long-range army tactical missile systems (ATACMS), an important boost to Kyiv’s capacity to target Russian military logistics at long range distances as the country prepares for a second winter at war. Biden told Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a private meeting that a small number of the weapons would be transferred, NBC reported, citing US officials.

Ukraine has been asking for ATACMS for months. Officials in the US were reluctant as the country’s own stockpile is limited and because of fears Russia could accuse Washington of escalation… Fired from a mobile launcher, ATACMS can hit targets up to 190 miles (300km) away, allowing Ukrainian forces to strike far beyond the front lines. Potential targets include command headquarters, weapons depots and supply networks, including railways.

Ukraine’s acquisition of the ATACMS is the latest in a long-running and largely successful campaign to push western allies for more advanced weaponry, which has been bolstered by Ukrainian military successes on the ground.

When Russia invaded last year, guided anti-tank missiles were among the most hi-tech equipment sent to Ukraine. It now has western tanks, surface-to-air missile defence systems and pilots training to take over a fleet of F-16 fighter jets.

President Zelenskyy’s addresses to both the General Assembly and the UN Security Council in New York was a restatement of Ukraine’s formulas for an end to the fighting which were conveniently summarised months ago by Al Jazeera News (28 December 2022):

The Ukrainian peace plan calls for:

Radiation and nuclear safety, focusing on restoring security around Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine, which is now Russian-occupied.
Food security, including protecting and ensuring Ukraine’s grain exports to the world’s poorest nations.
Energy security, with a focus on price restrictions on Russian energy resources, as well as aiding Ukraine with restoring its power infrastructure, half of which has been damaged by Russian attacks.
Release of all prisoners and deportees, including war prisoners and children deported to Russia.
Restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity and Russia reaffirming it according to the UN Charter, which Zelenskyy said is “not up to negotiations”.
Withdrawal of Russian troops and the cessation of hostilities, the restoration of Ukraine’s state borders with Russia.
Justice, including the establishment of a special tribunal to prosecute Russian war crimes.
The prevention of ecocide, and the protection of the environment, with a focus on demining and restoring water treatment facilities.
Prevention of an escalation of conflict and building security architecture in the Euro-Atlantic space, including guarantees for Ukraine.
Confirmation of the war’s end, including a document signed by the involved parties.
As President Zelenskyy parades at the UN and on overseas state visits in his iconic military fatigues, the mainstream media often overlooks the fact that he is also a canny populist leader who defeated the more moderate Petro Poroshenko in the run-off presidential elections in April 2019 after failing to receive an absolute majority at the first election tally.

While President Zelenskyy continued his rhetorical offensive with an address to the Canadian Parliament on 22 September 2023, medium range Ukrainian naval missiles hit the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol. This followed a Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian City of Kremenchuk according to DW News (22 September 2023).

In the midst of a worsening in global strategic relations Foreign Minister Penny Wong addressed the UN General Assembly for the second time in a year (DFAT 23 September 2023.

Our foreign minister strived to address the structural barriers to sustainable development in the spirit of the General Assembly’s current forum. Penny Wong identified the Albanese Government with the efforts of Foreign Minister Dr. Evatt in the Chifley era to support the UN as a multinational advocate for peace and development that would remove the scourge of nuclear weapons as false flags for peace and development which detract from the sustainable development goals of G-77 countries.

In the General Assembly, the G-77 Group of countries is eager to pursue its sustainable development goals as approved at the Summit in Havana. The G-77 group with the support of 135 members of the General Assembly has a clear majority in the General Assembly on 193 members and contains countries with a full range of ideological opinions on strategic and economic issues.

Member States of the G77

As shown by the distribution of the G-77 Group on the global map, the G-77 group extends across the globe from PNG, the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste adjacent to Australia through Asia, Africa and Latin America.

During international crises in the Cold War era, moderation was often achieved through the efforts of diverse opinions from the leaders of developed countries. Electoral cycles in the post-1989 era have brought a drift to the right on strategic policies within the members states of the US Global Alliance. Sweden, Austria and Finland which have thrown in their lot to join NATO in the post-2021 era after the Russian penetration into Ukraine.

Penny Wong’s address to the UN General Assembly did offer an alternative to All the Way With The USA Rhetoric. Her welcome address to the General Assembly was a highly qualified alternative viewpoint from Australia as a staunch member of the US Global Alliance, it placed no pressure on Ukraine and Russia to seek alternatives to the current conflicts.

Support for military solutions has also intruded into responsible reporting and comments from Australian military chiefs (16 September 2023).

This opinion piece from ABC News indirectly supports the warning from Australian Defence Chief Angus Campbell in relation to the erosion of democratic activism as a potent force in media manipulation (ABC News 14 September 2023):

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Key points:

General Angus Campbell fears public confidence in elected officials will be damaged as AI and deepfake use accelerates
He fears Australians will increasingly struggle to separate fact from fiction
General Campbell has accused Russia of seeking to fracture allegiances between Western democracies.

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In the historical traditions of the Holy See’s diplomatic activity during the Great War (1914-18), Pope Francis has endorsed the diplomatic mission of Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna to assist in promoting a peace agenda to the war in Ukraine in Washington, Kyiv and Beijing in the past week. Cardinal Zuppi’s three-day visit to Beijing clearly supports Win-Win diplomatic outcomes. While notes on the diplomatic missions by Cardinal Zuppi are covered by Vatican News and mainstream media, this coverage is completely short of detail on the actual content of discussions particularly in Moscow and Beijing. Initiatives from the Pope’s envoy were welcomed in reporting by China’s Xinhua News Agency (13 September 2023) and more recently by Britain’s Morning Star newspaper which is available online for perusal by readers.

The optimum traction of UN Assistance to countries at war and in crisis over recent disasters has been eroded by cut-backs in funding to UN agencies from wealthy countries as shown by the latest UN budgetary data.

Overall revenue from mandatory pro-rata contributions of member states stagnated at $3 US billion in 2021 forcing greater reliance on voluntary contributions and the UN’s own fund-raising ventures. These contributions extended the UN’s revenue base to $US 7.555 billion or a 10.3 percent increase over 2020 levels. In contrast, the US supports the state of Israel with approximately $US 3 billion in the Foreign Military Financing Programme (FMF) which is more than three times its annual contribution to support Pro-Rata UN Contributions.

As a developing country itself, China is contributing above its weight in both pro-rate contributions rather than commitment to Voluntary Contributions as revealed from the latest UN budgetary statements for 2021:

Mandatory Pro-Rata Contributions

Readers can easily assess the interpretations of the Lowy Centre on contributions to UN Funding (18 December 2022).

To its credit, the Biden Administration had paid off some of the arrears generated by previous US Governments for arrears in contributions to peacekeeping operations as noted by a short paper from the US Congressional Research Service (CRS).

The return of a Republican US Government in 2024 will surely end President Biden’s relative generosity towards the UN during the 2022-24 time period (CRS).

Our current political activism for peace and disarmament is a long way short of Labor’s initial post-1945 initiatives. This commitment soon faded as the Cold War intensified. Labor Governments in both Britain and Australia made initial preparations for the testing of nuclear weapons in Australia. This became a reality under Australian conservative governments.

Meanwhile each state and territory has plans to deal with emergencies involving nuclear powered military vessels from Britain and the USA. The threat from nuclear traction fades into insignificance when attention is given to the nuclear weapons which are routinely carried by a variety of foreign submarines and aircraft carriers when they are making visits to Australian ports under the Don’t Ask Won’t Tell Protocols demanded by the US Global Alliance.

Given the disciplined requirements imposed by the US Global Alliance on its allies as an alternative to real consultation, Penny Wong has ventured as far as she can on our behalf in her address to the UN General Assembly.

Promoting the values of the G-77 Summit is the best shield for activists against plans to steer humanity into greater acceptance of the false flags of neoliberalism and militarism.

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Denis Bright (pictured) is a financial member of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA). Denis is committed to consensus-building in these difficult times. Your feedback from readers advances the cause of citizens’ journalism. Full names are not required when making comments. However, a valid email must be submitted if you decide to hit the Replies Button.