The West is too divided — we must resolve local disputes and work with EU and US

The suffering of the people of Ukraine should be foremost in our minds. But, there are grave implications for all of us in the West.

It’s time to overhaul our geostrategic perspective, with potentially positive implications for every corner of our country, and greater hope for the whole endangered international system.

Russia and China increasingly resemble a vast authoritarian land mass, destabilising the world.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a land grab in the east of the country, and attempted undemocratic regime change in the remainder of Ukraine.

The West has long been too divided. France and Germany, for example, endlessly chase commercial contracts in Russia and China.

We are no better, in our case the greed of some lawyers, bankers and estate agents in London knows no bounds.

Who owns commercial and residential property in central London and elsewhere in the country?

That would be a good starting point for investigation as we detoxify ourselves.

It’s time for Western states to forgive each other, and ourselves, fix errors and develop greater unity of purpose.

It goes without saying that one small but significant part of a much bigger picture, from our perspective, is a resolution of the Northern Ireland Protocol issue that respects the UK.

Let us resolve these problems amongst friends, and then move on to the momentous global struggles of our age. These struggles could be as great as the worst ones in our history.

We need to coordinate much of our foreign policy with the EU and US, for decades to come and in a way that we have never done. This would be far easier if we resolve important existing local disputes.

John Gemmell, Wem, Shropshire

——— ———

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdowns having had a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Visit

https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions

now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Ben Lowry, Editor