Originally published on the CGS blog on March 25, 2014.
Dear Jake,
It was great fun seeing you and the twins on Skype this weekend. Every time I see you I can tell that you are bigger, stronger and smarter than the time before. You might be a little young for a history lesson, but I know you are not too young to appreciate a map, especially a map that looks like a puzzle.
In this letter I want to address the current crisis of Ukraine, Crimea and Russia and explain that I see a better way to solve crises like this one. As is often the case in understanding the problems of the world, it is good to start with a map and a history lesson.
In this map Crimea is the little peninsula hanging below Ukraine and to the left of Russia. It has had a tumultuous history, with many different governments over the past 100 years. Two events in the past are interesting to me. (1) In 1954 the Premier of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, transferred Crimea from the Soviet Union to Ukraine. From the research I have done, It does not appear that the people of Crimea had any choice in this transfer; (2) In 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union, 54% of the Crimean voters supported independence from Russia with a 60% turnout. Although Crimea initially claimed independence, later that year they agreed to be part of Ukraine.
Now in 2014 the Crimean people have voted to reverse these steps and return to Russia. The problem with this vote is that it was not in accordance with international law and was done very hastily with Russian troops in the area sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin. International law prohibits one country from sending its troops to another country without an invitation. It also requires that before a referendum can be held to split apart a nation state, the current government, in this case the government of Ukraine, must agree to the referendum. Furthermore, steps should be taken to ensure the voting takes place in a fair and democratic process. None of that happened here. Putin is saying that what Russia did in Crimea was nothing more than follow the example set by the US and its NATO allies in 1999 to help Kosovo separate from Serbia. Although the US did not annex Kosovo the way Russia has annexed Crimea, it is true NATO used military force to help Kosovo separate from Serbia.
I think there is a better way to solve these kinds of problems in the world. I believe we need to transform the UN to be a strong, democratic, federal union of nations that can deal with problems such as these. We need strong international laws with individual accountability so that anyone who violates international law can be stopped and the case tried in a court of law. When there was disagreement about the referendum in Crimea, the world needed a bench of judges to stop the election and then decide how to proceed in a way that is consistent with international law. We need an international court of law to solve these problems, just the way the states of the US solve their problems in court.
In my next letter I plan to return to explaining my friend Joe’s book about transforming the UN system, unless there is another world crisis that needs to be addressed.
In the meantime, may you continue to grow in wisdom and strength.
Love,
Gram
