Bertrand Russell rightly puts that, “War does not determine who is right, only who is left”. This has been accurate regarding the current situation of the Russia- Ukraine war. The war is playing havoc on both the countries with the crisis in humanity and economy as well.
The US and its allies are doing all they can to turn the conflict in Ukraine into a proxy war against Russia. This is not the first time that the US is trying to turn war into a proxy war, it has done it with Israel and also with Syria as well. The proxy war gives the US military autonomy over the countries and now it wants to capitalize on Russia’s oil export channel over Europe.
Recently, in news, the United States has confirmed a new $800 million package of military aid to Kyiv, including heavier weapons. Moscow is gearing up for a new offensive to secure the region of Donbass. This has been made clear that the Western powers are not seeking to resolve the conflict or secure peace but to escalate it. But transform it into a full-fledged proxy war against Russia. Apart from its own invasions, bombings, coups, and attempt at regime change imposed on countries around the world. One of America’s preferred methods of confronting adversaries is to ‘wage proxy war’ against them, that is, to support the war of a group or country against rivals without militarily engaging themselves.
Proxy war allows the US to minimize its own losses by inflicting war for its own aims and also procuring geopolitical gain by undermining rival states, at the same time maximizing profits for the military industry by keeping the arms flowing. The US and allies are now dragging the war to impose as much damage to Moscow as possible, by intensifying weapon supplies, and training and also providing intel to the Ukrainian Army. Though, Moscow was the first to initiate war against Ukraine and US viewed the situation in absolutist terms. Washington does not want the war to end in a peaceful settlement whereby Ukraine makes concessions to Russia, because the ideal result is to ensure as much damage as possible to Moscow.
Some of the reasons for this. First of all, Russia’s tactical withdrawal from the north of Ukraine and a renewed focus on Donbass appear to the West that they can succeed in undermining Putin’s ‘core war goals. Secondly, intensifying the conflict gives the West political space to continue to impose more sanctions on Moscow and allows the US to impose more ‘unity’ on its European allies.
The escalated scenario of Russia, however, risks turning the Ukrainian crisis into a new ‘great nationalist war’- that is, a conflict in which the survival of the nation itself is at stake. The United States and its allies have made it clear that they want to end the war with the failure of Russia. The true intentions of the west and the goals behind the expansion of NATO are the downfalls of the government of President Putin and straight-up regime change.
To conclude, the world is going into very dangerous territory. The US and its allies have made it clear that they do not want any peace or compromise in the war between Russia and Ukraine. For Russians, this becomes an ever-growing struggle against the Westerners to dominate, coerce, and subjugate their country, with Ukraine as the sacrificial pawn.
This has indeed become the “darkest” of times, where the geopolitical hegemony rests with the US and its allies. As H.G. Wells has said, “if we don’t end the war, war will end us”. Now, this is coming to us like a boomerang where the war is ending all the humanity left within us.
