Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine — a blatant attempt to destroy an independent, sovereign state living peacefully within recognized borders — has raised profound questions about the world we want to live in and how international relations should be managed in the future.
One year on, the search for answers is even more urgent and it must involve countries near and far from the war.
Failure to defend the core principles of sovereignty and independence anywhere risks opening the door to autocratic and aggressive regimes everywhere. To live in a world where disputes between states are resolved through negotiations rather than force, we must recognize that the war’s challenge to the post-1945 international order affects every country, regardless of political system or alliance. In fact, it is smaller, less powerful countries that will suffer most if the world divides into competing blocs, as it did during the Cold War.