General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsZelensky is basically proposing a worldwide association more powerful than NATO or the UN
to respond both to aggression by rogue nations and to natural disasters.
Good for him.
Editing to add that he emphasizes the need for a QUICK response.
Editing again to add four paragraphs of Zelensky's speech from the transcript at Quartz.com:
https://qz.com/2142992/transcript-of-volodymyr-zelenskyys-speech-to-the-us-congress/
Today the people do not have such tools. Institutions should protect us from war but they unfortunately do not work. We need new alliances and we offer them. We propose to create an association, united for peace, a union of responsible countries to stop conflict immediately, provide all the necessary assistance in 24 hours, weapons if necessary, sanctions if necessary, humanitarian support, finances, everything you need to keep the peace and quickly to save the world, to save life.
Such associations would provide assistance to those who are experiencing natural disasters, who fell victim to humanitarian crisis or epidemics. Remember how difficult it was for the world to do the simplest things just to get a vaccine against covid to save lives, to prevent new strains. The world spent months, years doing things like that much faster to make sure there are no victims.
Ladies and gentlemen, if such an alliance would exist today we would be able to save thousands of lives in our country, in many countries around the world, those who need peace, those who suffer inhumane destruction. I ask you to watch one video. a video of what the Russian troops did in our country, in our land. We have to destroy every single aggressor who seeks to subjugate other nations. Please watch the video.

OneGrassRoot
(23,594 posts)The QAnon conspiracy theorists around the world are going to see that as a sign of the New World Order ruled by blood-drinking pedophiles and Putin is trying to stop it.
Probatim
(3,080 posts)Caliman73
(11,767 posts)Live on Tucker Carlson -- "SEE, I TOLD YOU THEY WANTED A NEW WORLD ORDER!!!"
It would be a good thing to have countries cooperate more and share the resources of this planet more equitably, respond to natural disasters, and prevent aggression by anti-social nations.
Jerry2144
(2,705 posts)Especially since fascism is spreading again, even (especially?) here. There may very will need to be a concerted effort to stop it. Do we really need National armies instead of a global force? National nukes instead of ones under global control ( asteroid defense, global needs like that)?
doc03
(37,402 posts)thesquanderer
(12,482 posts)CaptainTruth
(7,415 posts)Imagine if defendants could be convicted & then just say "Sorry, I don't agree," & walk free.
I've always thought it was sort of like that.
doc03
(37,402 posts)committee.
former9thward
(33,424 posts)thesquanderer
(12,482 posts)Especially since who knows what the next Trump-like president could do?
Alexander Of Assyria
(7,839 posts)AlexSFCA
(6,288 posts)putins war machine is unmatched. China actually cares about its economy.
AZLD4Candidate
(6,460 posts)lastlib
(25,304 posts)They're better now than they were in Korea. But they still have the numbers.
AZLD4Candidate
(6,460 posts)Trust me. . .they are a paper tiger.
former9thward
(33,424 posts)They have the 2nd biggest economy in the world and are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in infrastructure projects in Asia, Africa, S. America and even Europe (Italy).
AZLD4Candidate
(6,460 posts)And officers get promoted by bribing superiors.
Don't trust me then.
former9thward
(33,424 posts)When I was in Tibet they seemed very efficient to me.
AZLD4Candidate
(6,460 posts)I'll believe Chinese veterans like my wife's deceased grandfather was who in the Chinese Army, as well as the general attitude about the Chinese army from people I knew there when I lied there.
With that, I think I'm done with this as I will not go down this rabbit hole.
Alexander Of Assyria
(7,839 posts)Alexander Of Assyria
(7,839 posts)have a problem with that
.mainly the Rich in the West
ah for thé good old days of outright colonialism and national subjugation.
Alexander Of Assyria
(7,839 posts)Witness the lockdowns in China and the opening up for the sake of Profit in the West.
What more evidence does one need for why the Western corporate media is ratcheting up the propaganda?
questionseverything
(10,455 posts)For some religion?
I could do w/o that kind of caring
Alexander Of Assyria
(7,839 posts)and then losing them by the thousands. Still looking for some. Could go on and on and on
Pimples and blemishes, some vigger, some smaller, some recent, some historical
but look at the bigger picture.
Both nations do no need to be enemies relying on Hate and constant promise of WAR!
cause of any of of that. To me thats media propaganda playing on Fear, certainly same in both nations to control
US.
Let Twitter do the hating and the warring.
wnylib
(25,183 posts)thesquanderer
(12,482 posts)mopinko
(72,154 posts)GoCubsGo
(33,447 posts)Why the hell either of them is on it, let alone permanent members, is beyond me.
former9thward
(33,424 posts)2naSalit
(95,283 posts)That's what it will take and the time is now or forget it.
Lonestarblue
(12,237 posts)We need an organization that can deal with aggressive behavior by one country toward another before it spirals into world war. I think Putin may just be delusional enough to think that he can continue blasting Ukraine to rubble long enough that NATO is forced to enter the war. He knows he has lost Ukraine, and perhaps his only way out is to draw NATO into the war, then he can withdraw and claim that of course Russia could not win against NATO, whose leaders hate Russia and want to see it destroyed. With propaganda, Russians will believe him and keep him in power.
AngryOldDem
(14,177 posts)Both NATO and the UN are postwar institutions. Times have changed. Both still have a purpose, but Zelensky has a point.
malaise
(280,818 posts)That is all
highplainsdem
(53,937 posts)recommended pro-Putin work by filmmaker Oliver Stone.
TeamProg
(6,630 posts)former9thward
(33,424 posts)Of course the UN is oriented towards that also.
malaise
(280,818 posts)
Magoo48
(5,870 posts)What we have isnt working. UN is an aging, corruptible wimp, and NATO is a aging bully.
bigtree
(91,027 posts)...with a primarily military one.
That power should flow from those deliberative institutions, not one geared toward warring.
bucolic_frolic
(48,610 posts)Oh that won't be popular with corporations that rely on natural resources nor with the financiers behind them.
PatrickforB
(15,162 posts)not for shareholder profits.
Only by forcing changes in corporate governance to a stakeholder approach rather than sharehold primacy will we be able to end the corruption that brings war for profit. I have called my Representative and suggested he 'lead the charge' in Congress for legislation that forces such change in corporate governance.
LOL, his staffer said that he 'thought he had most of it down' and that he would be sure and relay my thoughts to the Congressman.
Yep, I'm SURE that will work!
Sigh....
TeamProg
(6,630 posts)screws some nations in trade, keeping them poor and import prices down.
The U.S. has a history of supporting dictators who suppress their own peoples' interests while exporting goods/oil/minerals to U.S. corporations at a swinging deal.
Or, the U.S. might blackmail a nation by shipping arms to the country's neighbor as a threat.
Or withhold the sale of arms to squeeze a better trade deal.. sound familar?
Things like that happened before TFG. TFG did it to corrupt an election = obvioulsy illegal.
peppertree
(22,850 posts)In any case, a new UN would have to be structured without anything like a Security Council with five countries having veto power (with the General Assembly being mere window dressing).
That said, I think Zelensky's right - as long as it can be implemented with those caveats in mind (but can it?).
Autumn
(47,252 posts)a "peacekeeping" organization is useless. While they ponder, wait and watch people are dying.
mia
(8,439 posts)Civilization is at the crossroads.
lastlib
(25,304 posts)A "United Democracies" organization.
NATO was formed as a deterrent to Soviet aggression against NATO nations. That is essentially what it's good for, little else. A broader alliance is needed, with the wherewithal to intervene in situations like Ukraine.
Martin Eden
(13,818 posts)Unfortunately what has been done can't be un-done, but the victims would have a modicum of justice if Dim Son and Darth Cheney were imprisoned for war crimes.
anarch
(6,536 posts)but unless advanced aliens decide to show their hand, or unless all people of the world agree to live under one code of behavior, to be enforced by, I dunno, the Jedi Council or something...unless any of that kind of shit comes about, there's nobody in charge.
Martin Eden
(13,818 posts)= Lunatics are running the Asulum.
anarch
(6,536 posts)and enslaving them/harvesting them for personal advantage.
Really, what is the shared purpose of humanity according to our world's "community standards"? I can tell you what it should be (to enjoy and care for this world and each other), but I can't tell you what it is in our society because there isn't any particular purpose aside from "line goes up" for the stock market and GDP or whatever.
anarch
(6,536 posts)yes the nationalists will absolutely love it
Cha
(307,207 posts)Save Lives and his Country.
💙💛
Meowmee
(7,098 posts)But we still have the problem of psycho p threatening nukes to get whatever he wants.
roamer65
(37,397 posts)But if he is, I will gladly follow him. One world government needs to happen.
AntiFascist
(13,041 posts)I've always felt there should be a coalition of 'true' democracies defending democracy, although I suppose this would involve certain election standards.