HAPPENING AT THE UNITED NATIONS
Wars don't end when you stop talking about them. And the conflict between the Russian aggressor and the Ukrainian people who defend their territory continues even if it has almost disappeared from the news, overshadowed by another catastrophe, which began with the barbaric terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel and continued with the bombing of the Gaza Strip which have already caused tens of thousands of deaths.
You must keep your memory alert and above all consider what will happen next, like what the consequences will be of actions implemented for reasons of immediate convenience by a number of states. We need to understand whether the strategies will work or not in the long term.
Remaining in the news, it can be said that Russian President Putin has had proof that in an interconnected world a country cannot be conquered in a week. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, for his part, is realizing that a generalized armed response, even if "justified" by a cowardly and terrible attack, risks creating more problems than it solves. Even Hamas terrorists and their acolytes in the region have to deal with reality: the "attack" which was supposed to “resolve" actually brought new suffering to the Occupied Territories, with thousands of deaths and orphans who will grow up surrounded by hatred. A result very far from the vaunted goal of Israel's destruction.
But these could be opinions, so let's stick to the facts, the numbers, which often provide a safe haven in a sea of news that is difficult to interpret. Let's focus on those of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which, having been under way for the longest time, provides tragically reliable data. According to estimates provided by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as of 30 November 2023, 5,908,200 refugees from Ukraine were registered in Europe, of which 5,298,000 have obtained asylum, temporary protection or similar assistance. Furthermore, at the end of September 3.7 million people were displaced within the country.
Given the emergency justified by the fighting, this exodus is currently considered a "side effect" to be addressed in due course. This will be the case until the fighting stops, then it will be time to think about the colossal investments that will be necessary to rebuild a largely destroyed country. The humanitarian issue will be addressed last, and usually limited to the economic effects that a large movement of people entails. What is often missing in these processes is attention to pacification. There will be throngs of international industries ready to rebuild everything better than it was. And there will be weapons manufacturers ready to offer new army catalogs of combat-tested missiles and battle-proven machine guns. The same will happen in the Gaza Strip, where most of the homes have been destroyed, and in Israel, where it will be necessary to increasingly secure the cities in an attempt, which has so far failed, to avoid new attacks.
Without giving in to easy rhetoric or naive pacifism, the question to ask those who decide to attack a civilian population is always the same: "Does it work as a strategy?". History provides the answer: almost never.
