September 30, 2015

Carte blanche for Putin

On September 30, 2015, the Council of the Russian Federation gives its consent to Vladimir Putin to use the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation abroad, in particular in Syria.

The decision justifies the use of the Russian Air Force to provide support to Bashar al-Assad’s ground forces from the air, and states that the “operation” complies with Russian and international law. At the same time, the legality of the “operation” is determined not by international law, but by the “request of the legitimate government” of Syria, which is clearly a direct violation of international law, as Russian diplomacy recognizes that the current UN Statute has exclusive competence to threaten international peace and eliminating such a threat is the responsibility of the UN Security Council, not national governments.

It was Russian aircraft that caused the destruction and humanitarian catastrophe in Aleppo, Syria. The British Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond, has warned Russia that its military intervention could result in criminal liability for aiding and abetting the Assad regime’s crimes against its own people.

Criticism of Russia’s actions is based on the fact that Russia, at the same time as conducting an “anti-terrorist operation” against the Islamic State, is actually participating in the Syrian civil war and aiding terrorists by striking at civilians and mainly Syrian opposition forces. This, undoubtedly, contradicts the principles of international law.

Russia is deliberately monitoring social conflicts and trying to intensify them in order to destabilize the target countries that are in the interests of the agonizing empire. Attempts to influence African self-identification through all means, including military ones, aim to reduce the influence of Western democracies on the African continent. This way, Russia wants to create an ideal basis for increasing dependence on the Russian government through economic contracts or the political commitment of Kremlin-backed dictatorial regimes.