Speakers at a seminar organised by the International Relations department of the School of Research and Graduate Studies at Wisconsin International University College, Ghana have painted a grimy picture of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, saying though several kilometers away, the most impact will be felt in Africa.
Speaking in turns, the speakers all of whom are lecturer at the International Relations department at Wisconsin indicated that the continent of Africa which is already reeling from the impact of the war through high inflation and humanitarian cases must brace itself up for the worst if the war continues.
Speaking on the topic “An International Politics Perspective of the Russia-Ukraine War”, Head of Department of International Relations Dr. Yao Gebeestablished the political antecedent to war outliningthe issues of liberalism, Neo-colonialism andglobalization in relations to the ongoing attack explaining that this kind of invasion was not the first as similar actions have been taken against Georgia and Crimea in the past. He further highlighted the conceptual issues in relation to international peace and security.
Dr. Fredrick Boamah who sought to establish the legality of the war on the topic “International Law and the Russia-Ukraine crisis” said “Russia and Ukraine are both members of the United Nations and therefore Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is illegal and a direct breach of the UN charter”.
He added that the invasion of Ukraine by Russia is as a result of the European Union advancement into Eastern Europe as well as the increasing desire of Ukraine to join NATO which Russia considers as a huge security threat. Dr. Boamah recommended a peaceful settlement of the disputes and theestablishment of international criminal tribunals and peacekeeping operation as an immediate remedy to the war.
A lecturer and economic consultant, Dr. Solomon Appiah also speaking on the “Economic and Sanctions Underpinnings of the Russia-Ukraine Crisis” was emphatic the main reason for Russia’sinvasion of Ukraine aside the security concerns can be attributed to economic motives saying huge volumes of gas that Russia supplies to Europe passes through Ukraine and thus any attempt by Ukraine to join NATO possess a risk to the Russian Federation.
Dr. Appiah fears if urgent action is not taken to end the war, the Russians will be left with no option but to deploy their nuclear weaponswhich could spell doom to Ukraine and the world at large.
These assertions by Dr Appiah were also shared by a former diplomat and International Relations expert Ambassador Dr. George Brandful who believed Multilateralism is a sure way to end the war. He was speaking on the topic “Role of Multilateralism in Dispute Resolution”.
The event which was attended by the students, staff and management of the university is a first in a seminar series organized by Faculties and Schools every academic year at Wisconsin International University College, Ghana.
