In one of the many articles, reports & analyses that I read this week about Putin’s brutal war in Ukraine, there is this line that sticks with me;
‘Putin is the most dangerous man in history.’
Quite a statement, but upon reflection, probably true. Hitler unleashed a war that had killed about 85 million people [3% of the world’s population in the 1940’s] when the guns fell silent, but he did not have an atom bomb – Putin has 6 257 of them.
This week Putin threatened using his nuclear power, although Ukrainian president Zelenskyy said; “I think that the threat of nuclear war is a bluff. It’s one thing to be a murderer. It’s another to commit suicide. Every use of nuclear weapons means the end for all sides, not just for the person using them.” I am inclined to agree, but that does not remove the threat that Putin at his 10 meter table poses to humanity.
A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY
Putin’s unprovoked war, destroying cities, killing civilians and murdering innocent people is clearly a crime against humanity. The official description for Crimes against humanity, is summarised thus; ‘certain acts that are purposefully committed as part of a widespread or systematic policy, directed against civilians, in times of war or peace’ – as per the resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1976. To my shame I have to point out that our decades-long policy of Apartheid here in South Africa has been declared a Crime Against Humanity. I am not a futurologist, but in the fulness of time Putin will pay the price for his crimes.
I have a book with photos from the Second World War, which I bought as a student many years ago. A picture that spoke to me then, and which will unfortunately be the legacy of Putin’s war once he has raised the Ukrainian cities to rubble and ruin, is a young soldier, siting defeatedly on a canon amidst the smouldering ruins of Berlin at the end of the war. The caption says it all:
‘If you seek his monument – look around’
DEMOCRACY RISING
‘The people of Ukraine are reminding us that democracy is the single most important legacy we have inherited from previous generations who strengthened it and who risked their lives to preserve it. It will be the most significant legacy we leave to future generations – unless we allow it to be suppressed by those who fear it, or we become too complacent to care.’ [I so totally agree with ROBERT REICH who formulated this observation]
SOUTH AFRICA HAS A NEW CHIEF JUSTICE
President Ramaphosa appointed Justice Zondo, who presided over the State Capture Commission, as the new Chief Justice of South Africa. He will preside over our Apex Court, guarding our constitution and all the values that we as South Africans hold dear as the supreme law of the land. In the process Ramaphosa ignored the attempts by Julius Malema [supreme commander] of the EFF, a party with 10% of the national vote, and that despicable advocate, Dali Mpofu, to smear Zondo and two other judges they wanted to discredit during interviews the Judicial Services Council held to help the president in the assessment of selecting a Chief Justice. Bravo!
ATTACHING A 700 MILLION SUPERYACHT
I like this beautiful piece of reportage in the Guardian:
‘France’s finance minister has announced the country has seized a yacht linked to Rosneft boss, Igor Sechin, in the Mediterranean port of La Ciotat, as German local authorities denied reports they had also seized the $600m superyacht belonging to Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov.’
Small change but hugely symbolic. The Russian Oligarchs who stole the Russian People blind in state capture on steroids, with the active participation of Putin, are finally meeting their match. It is the law of unintended consequences at work. I am sure it is not what Putin and his cronies had in mind when they started the war in Ukraine, but nevertheless, I am shouting; “YES, YES, YES”, and as the popular song goes, ‘do that to me one more time’. [Captain & Tennille]
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Younger generations the world over have reason to wonder what’s going on. First they inherited the climate crisis, then came the pandemic, and then the resultant bans on study and travel. Now they face something older generations said would never happen again: a full-scale war in Europe.