Russia vetoed on March 15, 2014, a United Nations resolution to invalidate a Crimean referendum to separate from Ukraine. That motion preceded by one day the actual referendum on whether Crimea would detach from Ukraine and either become independent or join Russia. Meanwhile, the United States and European Union (EU) reiterated that such a move would violate Ukrainian sovereignty. It would also, they said, violate international law.
While the U.S. and EU knew Russia would veto the motion, they also knew the motion would symbolically isolate Russia. Thirteen nations voted for it, while China abstained.
The UN maneuver was the latest in the Ukraine/Crimea Crisis.
Background
Russian troops invaded Crimea -- a peninsula of land extending south from Ukraine into the Black Sea -- on March 1 after riots ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in late February. Yanukovych favored an alliance with Russia over one with the EU, even those most of his countrymen favored the opposite.
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed the invasion was to protect the interests of Russians as well as the Russian Black Sea naval base on Crimea. However, Russia's initial 6,000 troops quickly became 16,000 with armor and equipment arriving daily. As of March 14, Putin was making noises about invading southeastern Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Crimea prepared for its referendum. Crimea's regional government had already approved separation from Ukraine, but it needed the referendum as a stamp of approval.
With thousands of Russian troops and Russian-loyal local defense soldiers milling about, the results of the referendum were hardly in doubt. The referendum's legitimacy, however, was.
Kerry Meets With Lavrov
As the clock ticked, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in London March 14 to look for a solution to the Crimean crisis.
There was none.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk visited Washington, D.C., March 12 and told President Barack Obama that Ukraine was prepared to offer Crimea greater autonomy within the Ukrainian system. But that has not derailed the referendum.
While the U.S. and EU have threatened sanctions and diplomatic isolation if Russia persists in backing the referendum, and while Kerry reiterated there would be "costs" for Russia's takeover, neither has swayed Russia.
Lavrov told Kerry that Putin would respect the results of the referendum, and that the Russian president would make no decisions regarding the crisis until after that referendum.
Kerry said:
Who Makes International Law?
So what is the international law that the U.S. and the EU say Russia is violating, and who makes it?
While the world moved toward a body of international law in fits and starts before World War II, since 1945 the United Nations has been the keeper of international law. Member nations hammer out agreements, vote on them, and accept or reject them. Those accepted become the body of international law. They run a gamut of topics, from human rights to arms agreements, territorial waters to democratic elections.
At stake in Ukraine is the issue of state sovereignty. World War II essentially killed classic-style European imperialism. A spate of Asian and African independence movements post-war and the collapse of Soviet communism finished the process of imperial demise.
With many newly sovereign nations in the last seventy years, the UN has made it of primary importance to protect the sovereignty of all nations. The U.S. and the West lead that campaign.
If a region of a sovereign nation is simply able to declare its wish to de-annex, as Crimea supposedly has, then the sovereignty of any nation is untenable. (The persistent, irrational cry of conservative red-staters for a second attempt at secession from the U.S. might then hold some validity!)
Post-Soviet Russia, however, has a poor track record with regional sovereignty. It sponsored the break-away from Georgia of South Ossetia and Abkhazia after short wars in the those areas. Ukraine's interim government has claimed Russia's actions in their country follow that same Georgia scenario.
Sources:
Frizell, Sam. "Russia Vetoes U.N. Draft On Crimea, As Citizens Rally Against War." Time.com http://time.com/26088/russian-moscow-protest-ukraine-intervention-50000/ March 15, 2014; accessed March 15, 2014.
Rhodan, Maya, and Nate Rawlings. "Kerry Meets With Russian Diplomat As Crimea Secession Vote Loom." http://time.com/24803/kerry-meets-with-russian-diplomat-as-crimea-secession-vote-looms/ Time.com. March 14, 2014; accessed March 14, 2014.
U.S. State Department. Kerry Press Availability. http://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2014/03/223523.htm March 14, 2014; accessed March 14, 2014.
While the U.S. and EU knew Russia would veto the motion, they also knew the motion would symbolically isolate Russia. Thirteen nations voted for it, while China abstained.
The UN maneuver was the latest in the Ukraine/Crimea Crisis.
Background
Russian troops invaded Crimea -- a peninsula of land extending south from Ukraine into the Black Sea -- on March 1 after riots ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in late February. Yanukovych favored an alliance with Russia over one with the EU, even those most of his countrymen favored the opposite.
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed the invasion was to protect the interests of Russians as well as the Russian Black Sea naval base on Crimea. However, Russia's initial 6,000 troops quickly became 16,000 with armor and equipment arriving daily. As of March 14, Putin was making noises about invading southeastern Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Crimea prepared for its referendum. Crimea's regional government had already approved separation from Ukraine, but it needed the referendum as a stamp of approval.
With thousands of Russian troops and Russian-loyal local defense soldiers milling about, the results of the referendum were hardly in doubt. The referendum's legitimacy, however, was.
Kerry Meets With Lavrov
As the clock ticked, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in London March 14 to look for a solution to the Crimean crisis.
There was none.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk visited Washington, D.C., March 12 and told President Barack Obama that Ukraine was prepared to offer Crimea greater autonomy within the Ukrainian system. But that has not derailed the referendum.
While the U.S. and EU have threatened sanctions and diplomatic isolation if Russia persists in backing the referendum, and while Kerry reiterated there would be "costs" for Russia's takeover, neither has swayed Russia.
Lavrov told Kerry that Putin would respect the results of the referendum, and that the Russian president would make no decisions regarding the crisis until after that referendum.
Kerry said:
I presented a number of ideas on behalf of the President, which we believe absolutely could provide a path forward for all the parties. However, after much discussion, the Foreign Minister made it clear that President Putin is not prepared to make any decision regarding Ukraine until after the referendum on Sunday. The United States position on that referendum, I must say, is clear and it’s clear today: We believe the referendum is contrary to the constitution of Ukraine, is contrary to international law, is in violation of that law, and we believe it is illegitimate, and as the President put it, illegal under the Ukrainian constitution. Neither we nor the international community will recognize the results of this referendum.
Who Makes International Law?
So what is the international law that the U.S. and the EU say Russia is violating, and who makes it?
While the world moved toward a body of international law in fits and starts before World War II, since 1945 the United Nations has been the keeper of international law. Member nations hammer out agreements, vote on them, and accept or reject them. Those accepted become the body of international law. They run a gamut of topics, from human rights to arms agreements, territorial waters to democratic elections.
At stake in Ukraine is the issue of state sovereignty. World War II essentially killed classic-style European imperialism. A spate of Asian and African independence movements post-war and the collapse of Soviet communism finished the process of imperial demise.
With many newly sovereign nations in the last seventy years, the UN has made it of primary importance to protect the sovereignty of all nations. The U.S. and the West lead that campaign.
If a region of a sovereign nation is simply able to declare its wish to de-annex, as Crimea supposedly has, then the sovereignty of any nation is untenable. (The persistent, irrational cry of conservative red-staters for a second attempt at secession from the U.S. might then hold some validity!)
Post-Soviet Russia, however, has a poor track record with regional sovereignty. It sponsored the break-away from Georgia of South Ossetia and Abkhazia after short wars in the those areas. Ukraine's interim government has claimed Russia's actions in their country follow that same Georgia scenario.
Sources:
Frizell, Sam. "Russia Vetoes U.N. Draft On Crimea, As Citizens Rally Against War." Time.com http://time.com/26088/russian-moscow-protest-ukraine-intervention-50000/ March 15, 2014; accessed March 15, 2014.
Rhodan, Maya, and Nate Rawlings. "Kerry Meets With Russian Diplomat As Crimea Secession Vote Loom." http://time.com/24803/kerry-meets-with-russian-diplomat-as-crimea-secession-vote-looms/ Time.com. March 14, 2014; accessed March 14, 2014.
U.S. State Department. Kerry Press Availability. http://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2014/03/223523.htm March 14, 2014; accessed March 14, 2014.
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