World in the past week: Many challenges remain!

(Baonghean) - March 18th marked the one-year anniversary of Crimea's annexation by Russia, an event considered to have opened a new chapter in a multipolar world. The consequences included an increasingly tense confrontation between Russia, the West, and the US; the election of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a fourth term with hawkish foreign policy; and the spread of terrorist violence to Tunisia – a country previously considered peaceful in the "Black Continent" due to its absence from the anti-government protests orchestrated by the US and the West – all noteworthy events of the past week…

The annexation of Crimea - gains and losses.

To date, one year after the Crimean Peninsula returned to Mother Russia following a referendum held by 2 million residents, which triggered an unprecedentedly tense confrontation between Russia and Western countries and the United States since the Cold War.

The sanctions were continuously imposed to put pressure on each other, and the Russians suffered the consequences. However, according to observers, the cost of reclaiming Crimea compared to the sanctions was "acceptable."

President Putin (center) at the signing ceremony of the treaty annexing Crimea to Russia on March 18, 2014. Photo: Getty Images AP

Crimea is a historical part of Russia. During the Great Patriotic War, the peninsula was a target for Nazi Germany's conquest, and it also witnessed the great battle in which the Soviet Red Army crushed Hitler's powerful forces, serving as a springboard for expanding liberated areas and making a significant contribution to the liberation of Ukraine and much of Europe.

On February 19, 1954, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issued a decree ceding Crimea to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. This transfer was seen as a "gift" commemorating the 300th anniversary of Ukraine's integration into Russia. More than just a part of Ukraine's history, Crimea is an extremely important geopolitical and geostrategic location, controlling the maritime security of countries bordering the Black Sea. It is also home to the Russian Black Sea Fleet, housing over 70% of its weapons and military equipment.

The Ukrainian crisis, culminating in the Maidan events that overthrew the government of President Viktor Yanukovych, orchestrated by the US, has led to the risk that this strategically important location will fall under NATO control.

If so, this would pose an immeasurable threat to Russia's security. Meanwhile, the majority of the peninsula's inhabitants are Russian, and they dislike the West and the United States, so they always harbor the desire to return to their "old home" in their motherland, Russia. And so, after the referendum on March 16, 2014, in accordance with the wishes of the people of Crimea, Russia welcomed the peninsula with open arms.

By taking over Crimea, Russia not only brought a better life to the "distant children" but also secured a geopolitical and geostrategic position to ensure national security against external threats, specifically NATO.

For many years, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has viewed Russia as an adversary and has consistently sought to expand its territory into post-Soviet countries in order to contain Russia, especially in the defense sector.

Even though the Cold War is over, there are always differences in perspective between Russia and NATO, especially in resolving issues and hotspots around the world.

While NATO, led by the US, consistently maintains a hardline stance, using military force to impose its will, Russia holds the opposite view.

Thus, Moscow's acquisition of Crimea is seen as a painful blow to NATO's ambitions to contain Russia, thereby increasing Russia's influence on the international stage.

Some observers even argued that this marked the end of a unipolar world where weaker nations were always oppressed and exploited. However, every medal has two sides, and the dark side of the Crimea medal was a series of blockades, isolation, and sanctions that plunged the Russian economy into a severe crisis, at times even bringing it to the brink of bankruptcy.

The ruble depreciated, and Western investors, unwilling to take risks, rushed to withdraw capital from the market, making life extremely difficult for the people due to rising inflation and soaring prices… And on the first anniversary of Crimea becoming Russian territory, President V. Putin declared that Crimea would not be returned, despite Western sanctions that would certainly increase tensions between the two sides.

Mặc dù vậy, nếu nhìn vấn đề này theo con mắt của các nhà phân tích chiến lược thì việc Nga sáp nhập Crimea vẫn sẽ là một thắng lợi to lớn của Nga. Bởi nó không chỉ nâng cao khả năng bảo vệ đất nước trước các mối đe dọa mà còn khiến uy tín của Nga trên trường quốc tế được khẳng định.

Benjamin Netanyahu tái đắc cử: Chương mới trong quan hệ Mỹ - Israel

Từ lâu Mỹ và Israel được biết đến như là 2 đồng minh thân cận không gì có thể lay chuyển nổi, bởi ai cũng biết rằng cả Mỹ và Israel đều có các mối quan tâm chung. Đó là Mỹ cũng như Israel đều là “kẻ thù” của rất nhiều quốc gia hồi giáo tại khu vực Trung Đông.

Trong khi Mỹ muốn có Israel để làm điểm tựa giải quyết xung đột nếu xảy ra chiến tranh với các nước thuộc khu vực này, thì Israel cũng muốn dựa hơi Mỹ những mong trở thành cường quốc khu vực để áp đặt những gì mà nhà nước Do Thái muốn…

Điều đáng nói là trong việc giải quyết một số vấn đề căng thẳng hiện nay liên quan đến khu vực thì người đứng đầu 2 quốc gia có những quan điểm hoàn toàn trái ngược. Chẳng hạn như vấn đề hạt nhân Iran, trong khi Mỹ mà cụ thể là Tổng thống Barack Obama nhanh chóng kết thúc sự đối đầu với quốc gia Hồi giáo; hay như tiến trình hòa bình Trung Đông cũng được ông chủ Nhà Trắng giải quyết theo hướng hòa bình và xây dựng thì Thủ tướng Benjamin Netanyahu lại đưa ra những quan điểm trái ngược.

Benjamin Netanyahu tái đắc cử (Ảnh Internet)

Nhiệm kỳ vừa qua, Thủ tướng Netanyahu luôn theo đuổi một chính sách ngoại giao cứng rắn. Tiến trình hòa bình Trung Đông tiếp tục gặp trở ngại. Israel tiếp tục thực hiện xây nhà định cư tại Bờ Tây và phong tỏa tiền thuế thu hộ của Palestine, bất chấp sự phản đối của cộng đồng quốc tế và sự quay lưng của một số cường quốc Tây Âu.

Ngay trước khi cuộc bầu cử diễn ra, Thủ tướng Israel Benjamin Netanyahu hôm 16/3 còn khẳng định rằng, nếu ông đắc cử thì “sẽ không có nhà nước Palestine nữa.” Không những thế, chính quyền của Thủ tướng Netanyahu liên tục có những lời lẽ và hành động gây trở ngại đối với cuộc đàm phán về vấn đề hạt nhân Iran.

Với tư tưởng cứng rắn và bảo thủ của mình nếu thành công trong việc thành lập chính phủ liên minh, chắc chắn Thủ tướng Israel sẽ quyết tâm theo đuổi các chính sách ngoại giao mà ông đang thực hiện thời gian qua cho dù sẽ vấp phải sự phản đối của cộng đồng quốc tế.

Điều này làm những người đứng đầu Nhà Trắng hoàn toàn mất đi sự kiên nhẫn, sau khi có kết quả sơ bộ với phần thắng nghiêng về đương kim thủ tướng Benjamin Netanyahu, giới chức Mỹ liên tục phát đi thông điệp nhằm “nắm gân” nhà lãnh đạo diều hâu của đất nước Do Thái này. Trong đó có khả năng rút bỏ “sự che chắn” về ngoại giao đối với Israel tại Liên hợp quốc mà Washington đã theo đuổi trong nhiều thập kỷ qua.

Remember how, in the past, whenever the United Nations voted to pass a bill against Israel, the US always used its veto power as a shield for the Jewish state. The question is, why would Benjamin Netanyahu take such a risk? Surely, in his calculations, the Prime Minister believed that the Americans would not abandon Israel. Having built a powerful traditional ally in the Middle East, the US would be foolish to turn its back on them.

But remember, at the present time, the image of the US in the eyes of Middle Eastern countries cannot be worse than the image left by the State of Israel. If the P5+1 (which includes the US) satisfactorily resolves the Iranian nuclear issue, it would also mean that America's biggest "enemy" would no longer exist. Therefore, if the US continues to pursue a hardline hawkish approach, relations between the US and Israel will further deteriorate, and the US will have every reason to cease cooperation with this Jewish state.

The shadow of ISIS has landed in Tunisia.

As a country not immune to the influence of the "Arab Spring" movement orchestrated by the West, which caused countless instabilities in the Middle East and North Africa, first the collapse of the dictatorial capitalist regime of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, followed by Libya, Syria, and others...

Initially, it was thought that the "Arab Spring" would usher in a new era in the region's politics. However, once the movement ended, the consequences were political and economic instability, civil wars, and the rise of terrorist organizations…

In Tunisia's case, the country appears to have ended the "Arab Spring" no worse than it began. This Sunni Muslim nation of 11 million people avoided civil war and managed to create democratic institutions that have so far mediated between competing factions and ideologies. The formula for Tunisia's relative success seems simple: Limit foreign intervention, steer clear of sectarian politics, and encourage compromise from all sides.

Internet image

However, after the March 17 terrorist attack that killed 22 people in what was considered the most stable country in the Middle East and North Africa, it became clear that the consequences of the "Arab Spring" had begun.

With its economy heavily reliant on tourism, the Islamic State's claim of responsibility and its designation of the attack as "the first drop of rain" is a red alert for the country. Particularly concerning is that the attack occurred near the Tunisian Parliament building – a heavily guarded area where members of parliament were debating a counter-terrorism law.

Thus, the shadow of IS has infiltrated Tunisia, posing a significant challenge to the coalition fighting the Islamic State, as it not only fails to narrow the organization's influence but also allows it to expand and grow.

Canh Nam