Peace talks in the Ukraine seem a long way off. PAUL DONOVAN sees parallels with the situation during the NI Troubles.
Why does there seem to be no talk of peace in Ukraine? Where are the voices of the international peace movement?
The thought occurs, as country after country pledges more weaponry to the Ukrainian side. Tanks have been the latest weapon, coming from Britain, Germany and the US. There is now talk of planes.
The only interest seems to be in escalation of this conflict, rather than bringing a resolution.
There has of course been an unlawful invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which needs to be repelled, but the time must have come for finding a peaceful way to resolve the conflict, rather than normalise bloody war.
The whole world needs peace, as soon as possible. Every day sees the creation of more and more bereaved families.
The people of Ukraine have suffered incredibly, as their country has been invaded. Thousands have died. Hundreds of thousands have fled the country to escape the carnage.
The failure to discuss any way of bringing this catastrophe to an end is reminiscent of the way in which the Troubles were dealt with in the Irish context.
In the early days of the troops going into the North in 1969, the talk was of a temporary deployment – they would be home by Christmas. But the mood rapidly changed, with actions like the use of internment and atrocities like Bloody Sunday, ensuring that the conflict escalated.
The description of the Troubles itself tended to underplay what was for most of the following three decades, all out war.
There were eight general elections between 1969 and 1998; never once did the war going on in a substantial part of the UK merit a serious debate. Even when the bombing campaigns, saw the whole of the UK effectively drawn into the struggle.
The political parties adopted a bipartisan approach, so no difference of opinion over how the war was being undertaken. Sound familiar?
Eventually, all sides were drawn together to talk peace. A number of theories abound as to why things changed in the 1990s – all sides had fought themselves to a standstill, it was costing too much, there were new enlightened leaders, the British army was required in other theatres of war – take your pick. But suddenly attitudes changed. There is of course still a long way to go but the bombs and bullets stopped all of a sudden.
There is also the strange irony that Brexit seems to have advanced the cause of uniting Ireland far more rapidly and with less bloodshed than 30 years of fighting ever did!
So what of Ukraine today. Why the lack of discussion of a settlement, bringing peace? Do any of the parties in Russia, Ukraine or the West want peace?
The Ukraine war moved from leading news bulletins with blanket coverage from the outset to providing the populace with intermittent updates. The war has been normalised, presented as inevitable and without end – similarities here to the way in which the conflict in the North was treated over all those decades.
And it is not as if everyone is not being effected in one way or another by the Ukrainian war.
Europe is the land mass mainly hit by the war. America, which provides much of the weaponry for the fighting, is largely insulated from the direct impacts.
There is the flow of refugees, rightly, greeted with great generosity by the British public. A marked contrast, though, to others seeking refuge in the country, most notably those in the "small boats, crossing the channel, who are viewed as "a problem" by the British government.
There are the rising energy prices. The spiralling cost of living in this and other countries. That great public enemy, inflation, would significantly come down if peace broke out in Ukraine.
One of the big winners of the conflict is the international arms trade, which has seen its cash registers constantly ringing as the war goes on.
Notably, former national security adviser, Lord Peter Ricketts recently declared that we "need to get our defence industry geared onto more like a war footing, so that we can produce the munitions that Ukraine needs."
Good news for the military industrial complex. Will the cost doesn’t matter attitude, that seemed to dominate during the conflict in Ireland, apply to Ukraine?
It remains a mystery as to why Britain is so heavily committed, providing the second highest level of support and armaments, after the US. Beyond a former PM, who thought it was his Churchillian moment and a country still deluded into believing it is a major power in the world, it is difficult to fathom why Britain is so to the fore in Ukraine.
The Ukrainians need support in the defence of their country but peace has to be the ultimate goal We cannot simply go on with an unending war, as happened over all those years in the North of Ireland.
The voices for peace need to be raised and heard. Constantly escalating this dangerous conflict could lead to an even bigger war and who knows where that could end?
This year has to see this bloody war drawn to a close. The Russians need to leave Ukraine, then the country needs rebuilding - a massive task.
Structures also need putting in place to stop such an attack occurring again in the future.
Simply, warmongering and talking of escalation will only see things getting worse for all except the arms manufacturers. The bloodshed needs to stop, and the talking needs to start now to bring an end to the conflict.
