On the Brink of a New World War

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Yesterday's holiday, against all expectations, had no major excesses, but still was felt differently this year as the modern world is standing with one foot at the door of a new world war. Sadly, this time our territory will most certainly again become a field of confrontation between the opposing geopolitical forces
Sergiu CEBAN, RTA: Because of the well-known events, this year’s 9th of May was awaited by many people in Moldova with anxiety. Obviously, the ban on the traditional symbol of the day - the St. George’s ribbon - was a challenge that created fertile ground for all kinds of provocations. A festive attribute, the ribbon itself quickly transformed into a symbol of resistance against the current pro-European authorities. In the run-up to the memorial date, and especially after a certain détente in energy sector, our leadership has calmed down a bit and started broadcasting pacifying messages to the population with an offer not to provoke each other. Apparently, having measured the extent of possible counteraction, the authorities decided not to choose a harsh scenario this year, but to monitor the reaction of society and certain political forces. Gagauzia succeeded the most in resisting the central authorities in Chisinau. At first, the local legislature adopted a decision allowing the St. George’s ribbon on the territory of the autonomy, but later the Court of Appeal of Comrat cancelled the document already signed by the governor of Gagauzia. However, in the evening of May 8, the local deputies decided to go, so to say, to the end and held an emergency meeting where they adopted a resolution “On the Victory Day Symbols”, authorizing the use of black and orange ribbons only for one day - May 9, 2022. The left bank of the Dniester was remarkably quiet this year. For well-known reasons, all mass events were cancelled there, except for minor commemorative celebrations. The situation in the capital was relatively calm, although some activists did try to disrupt the calm. Party functionaries and MPs of the bloc of communists and socialists also attempted to trade on the “hot topic” portraying themselves as leaders of “popular resistance” to the ruling party and the current legislation. However, the opposition didn’t manage to stage any really striking performances that day. Much more noticeable was the fact that Maia Sandu did not participate in the official events. According to the press service, the reason was allegedly the health condition of the head of state. As a result, even a meeting with the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, who arrived in our country on a two-day visit, had to be postponed. Officially, the secretary general came to Moldova to “express his words of support and solidarity”. However, given the recent results of shuttle diplomacy at Azovstal, achieved inter alia through his personal efforts, it is hard to believe that the trip to Chisinau was merely about expressing good wishes for the country’s leadership. In fact, while earlier the leaders of the major Western capitals and international organizations could hardly show Moldova on the political map of the world, in just a few months we have become the focus of considerable global attention. In just a few months, we have become the focus of considerable global attention. More and more often experts say that our region and the conflict in Ukraine could be the trigger for a new repartition of the world. The situation that emerged after February 24 is rapidly approaching the definition of a new world war. This is evidenced by the number of states whose resources are in one way or another involved in the Ukrainian hostilities, and it must be admitted that the number of these countries keeps growing. Another vivid sign of the large scale of the ongoing developments is that an overwhelming number of states and alliances (the United States, Russia, the European Union and NATO) capable of projecting their power and influence globally are already involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. A historic meeting of the heads of several dozen defense agencies at the U.S. military base in Ramstein, Germany, at the end of April marked the formation of a Western coalition of countries that agreed to jointly provide military assistance to Ukraine in its confrontation with Russia. It is not only the post-Soviet space that is turbulent. Active hostilities are taking place in many parts of the globe, with prewar situations in Asia, the Caucasus, Latin America and the Balkans. The current possibility of the Chinese army invading Taiwan, which is under the military tutelage of the United States, could be the final touch that will plunge everyone into a new world war. Alas, the former mechanisms of international coordination, preventive response and security are almost ineffective. The efforts of organizations such as the UN are ignored by global players. In fact, there are no rules in the world anymore, nor are there arbitration or ways to find justice. In these conditions, it is clear that the world needs the most extensive reorganization possible to prevent the entire globe from falling into a massive bloody war. No serious shifts in the international legal relations framework are likely to be seen in the near future, but attempts to adapt to the conditions of a dynamically changing world will be more and more frequent. For example, the other day the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen favored the idea of reforming the European Union, including the abolition of the unanimous voting principle in making key decisions. However, thirteen member states of the community opposed such changes to the Lisbon Treaty. On the one hand, such sweeping transformations seem to open up additional opportunities, including the acceleration of European integration procedures for a number of countries. However, we still need to understand what Brussels is preparing for and what this restructuring is connected with: enhanced efficiency of the European Union or the need to make quick decisions in wartime conditions. In general, there are more and more signs that we will face turbulent and most likely tough times. Therefore, this year’s 9th of May celebration had a slightly different feel. As we mark the victory and/or commemorate the fallen, we, the descendants, are already standing with one foot at the door of a new world war. Sadly, this time our territory is likely to again become a field of confrontation, hopefully a “cold” one, between the opposing geopolitical forces.