Philip McGarry: No easy answer, but we must strive to make the world safer

One was the invasion of Ukraine, the other the massive protests in Iran.

Following World War Two there was a near universal commitment that this must never be allowed to happen again.

This led to the setting up of the United Nations, the Declaration of Human Rights, the 4th Geneva Convention, conventions banning chemical and biological weapons, and a whole series of similar institutions and mechanisms.

While conflict did take place around the world, there was a firm expectation that in Europe at least, we would never return to the catastrophes of 1914 and 1939, that a European democracy would never again be invaded by its neighbour.

How wrong was that presumption!

Almost overnight in February this year the reputation of Angela Merkel, long lauded as one of the greatest democratic leaders of our time, was totally undermined.

As Europe prepares for a long, cold and deadly winter, the video replays of the smirking response of German diplomats at the UN General Assembly in 2018 to Donald Trump’s warning of the danger of Germany becoming dependent on Russia for energy expose that country’s leaders as shamefully complacent and totally naïve.

The frontline states such as Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and Sweden have been exemplary in standing up for Ukraine, while the UK can be proud of being by far the most resolute Western European country in fully supporting the beleaguered Ukrainians ( as generously recognised by President Zelensky).

This is what standing up for democracy against fascism actually looks like in the real world.

As the Russian onslaught continues, it is surprising and disappointing that there has not been a more radical debate about how we can try to reshape our world to mitigate against this ever occurring again.

The fact that the first session of the UN Security Council after the invasion was chaired by Russia illustrates its total impotence. Can we not do better?

Since 1979 the people of Iran, and most particularly the women, have suffered under a theocracy which has contempt for the most basic human rights.

As far back as 1980 there were large protests by females against the restrictions placed upon them. However they were brutally beaten off the streets. They received little international support.

This further empowered the Government, which has suppressed all opposition since.

Over the last few years the ‘White Wednesdays’ campaign, led by the redoubtable Masih Alinejad, has seen Iranian women posting videos online of themselves appearing in public with their hair uncovered; what an unspeakable crime! Sadly, for so long they received very limited support from many in the West who profess concern about human rights.

However, since the killing of 22-year-old Masha Amini in September, protests have spread around the whole country, led by young women and girls but widely supported by large sections of society.

Despite the regime killing over 300 people, including many children, and executing protestors for the made-up crime of ‘enmity against god’, the Iranian government is under much greater pressure from its own citizens than at any time since 1979.

Morally, it is clear that Ukraine has the right not to be invaded by an aggressive neighbour, and Iranian women have the right to dress as they please and be treated as well as men.

But besides sending weapons to Ukraine, and promoting the Iranian protestors’ mantra, “Women, Life, Freedom”, can we not do more?

We could perhaps take a so called “pragmatic/ realistic” approach, and accept that world bodies such as the UN – like its feeble interwar predecessor the League of Nations – do not and never will have the capacity to stop wars being waged and human rights being grossly abused.

We could accept that bullies will usually win out.

But surely we owe it to future generations to attempt to construct international institutions which can at least act as a brake upon the actions of predators.

The catastrophe of WW2 led to our forebears energetically stretching every sinew to attempt to create a better world order. And while their hopes have not been fully realised, there have been many genuine gains.

Given the events of the last year it is hard to see exactly what might work. There is no easy answer. But mankind is psychologically programmed to aspire to the progress of humanity.

There is surely no alternative to trying, and trying again to make our world a safer and a better place for all of its people.

• Dr Philip McGarry is a consultant psychiatrist and former Alliance Party chair