Russia

Armenia's move towards the International Criminal Court sets the stage for a diplomatic drama with Russia, while opening a new chapter of engagement with the West and Iran.

As Russia takes over the UN Security Council presidency, the world confronts the baffling irony of a nation, embroiled in the Ukraine war and led by a convicted war criminal, guiding an organisation entrusted with the preservation of global peace and security.

The International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Putin may be a small, symbolic step towards justice, but in a world where accountability is as dead as the dodo, it's a tune worth dancing to.

Russia's permanent seat on the UN Security Council is under scrutiny like never before. What would happen if the UN decided to expel this rogue state from the Security Council? Will it lead to war, polarisation, or perhaps a new beginning for the UN?

Following the General Assembly declaring the annexation of Ukrainian illegal, Russia's presence on the UN Security Council has officially lost its legal basis.

People and nations may disagree, they may commit crimes, but these antagonisms can be resolved in countless ways. Why war?

After the Soviet Union invaded Finland, the League of Nations kicked the country from its council. Why doesn't the UN do that too? Well, for all sorts of reasons, but mainly because it is bound to the moral low ground.

Appeasement is giving the school bully your lunch money in order to avoid being beaten up. In politics, however, it is more like giving the school bully someone else’s lunch money, to stop them from being picked on.

Human rights have been under attack in one way or another at nearly every single point in human history, so what has changed?

Putin, sometimes the West is as crazy as you are, but not for saying you should be removed, but for trying to mitigate the blow.

Once again, the UN fails to secure its primary mission of safeguarding world peace. But what can we do about it?

For years Europe has watched iron-man rising worldwide and polarising the advance of authoritarianism. Now, we proved it: we can take action, but only if we want to.

Ukraine is supported by many countries because it represents the right to build one's own future, in peace within the safety of their borders, without the threats of aggression. Peace, principles, justice and self determination are sacrosanct. That is why the Ukrainians do not want war. They want to live harmoniously among their own people, sharing the culture and heritage with their neighbours and the world.

Would you entrust a child you love to the care of a school or nursery if you knew that not only many of its teachers, but the school board itself, consisted of child abusers, rapists and murderers? Of course not! And yet that is exactly what we are doing when we entrust world peace and human rights to the United Nations.

In the August 2020 issue of The Gordian titled Russian Roulette: Why Putin’s Referendum Victory is a Threat to Humanity we published an article cheekily called Vlad the Terrible. It listed a range of crimes committed by Putin ranging from mass murder to mass deceit.

Under the former communist regime, the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) was suppressed, its properties confiscated and its followers harassed and imprisoned. This was until a Messiah came along.

North Korea is usually in the headlines for reasons ranging from the terrifying to the bizarre. This month, their leader Kim Jong-Un is once again subject to rumours that he is dead.

A Grim Trend July seems to have accelerated the grim trend that has been eroding civility and security over the last few years. The month dawned with Hong Kong finding itself stripped of many of its civil liberties.

In February 2020, Russia announced that it would soon be offering a simplified and cheaper online visa application for tourists from EU countries. If you were asked to describe Russia, your immediate thoughts may be of snow, bears and vodka.