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Opinion | Ukraine war: As pressure from US-led sanctions build, ‘coalition of the unwilling’ must stand together
- Pressure on the neutrality camp is mainly pointed at China, but could easily spread to the world’s silent majority
- An alliance of the unwilling is needed to support the peace effort and stay out of the war
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Why you can trust SCMP
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When US president George W. Bush launched the second Gulf War, he coined the phrase the “coalition of the willing” to refer to the countries who supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq and subsequent military occupation, on the grounds of Saddam Hussein’s connection to al-Qaeda and Iraq’s development of weapons of mass destruction, both of which proved to be fabrications.
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Nevertheless, over 400,000 people paid with their lives. Today, I advocate the creation of a “coalition of the unwilling” – an alliance to stay out of the war.
Like many countries, China takes a neutral position, one of principled neutrality that promotes a peaceful solution in Ukraine and humanitarian assistance to the country, while also striving to maintain normal trade relations with both Ukraine and Russia.
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This neutral position is justified not only by selfish national interests but also morally. Sanctions kill just as T-72 tanks do. A article published in Foreign Affairs in 1999 called sanctions “weapons of mass destruction” as they cause economic hardship, denial of access to medical supplies and possibly starvation.
But even if we disregard the potential sanction casualties in Russia, today’s sanctions, led by the collective West, will probably kill more people outside Russia, given it is a major global exporter of agricultural and energy products. Therefore, the neutrality position, in addition to avoiding siding with a warring party, is on the side of peace and humanity.
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