UN Secretary-General Guterres said today: "Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has brought great suffering and turmoil to the region and other regions."
The longer this war lasts, the more severe the consequences for everyone will be.
I once again call for a comprehensive, integrated, and sustainable ceasefire, paving the way for a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace based on the United Nations, international law, and relevant UN resolutions."
Commentary: Guterres' statement highlights the limitations of the United Nations' role in major power conflicts - its statements are a necessary moral reminder, but they have little actual binding force, more like "speaking against the gunfire".
On one hand, such verbal appeals are the "minimum action" for the United Nations to maintain its core values. As the largest multilateral organization in the world, the core responsibility of the United Nations is to maintain peace and security. Guterres repeatedly emphasizes "ceasefire" and "adherence to international law," which essentially reiterates the basic principles of the UN Charter. Through moral appeals, it aims to consolidate international consensus on the "necessity of peace," preventing conflicts from completely falling out of the multilateral framework and becoming pure confrontation of strength.
On the other hand, the actual effectiveness of moral pressure is highly limited, exposing the "helplessness" of the United Nations. The United Nations itself does not have a standing military force, nor does it have tools to enforce constraints on major powers. Whether its calls can be implemented depends entirely on the voluntary cooperation of the conflicting parties and their behind-the-scenes forces. In the Russia-Ukraine conflict, there are fundamental differences between both sides on core issues such as "security concerns" and "territorial sovereignty," and each side has practical considerations to support the war. Guterres' moral appeals are difficult to shake the strategic judgments of both sides. Moreover, the divided positions of the international community on the conflict also make "moral pressure" unable to form a unified effort - some countries ignore the United Nations' appeals, even continuing to supply weapons, further weakening the practical weight of verbal appeals.
Original text: www.toutiao.com/article/1844107135699139/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.