Althouse: "Russia did not show up for a hearing at the United Nations’ top court on Monday, effectively boycotting Ukrainian efforts to seek an immediate end to the fighting."

March 7, 2022

"Russia did not show up for a hearing at the United Nations’ top court on Monday, effectively boycotting Ukrainian efforts to seek an immediate end to the fighting."

"The proceedings in front of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, went ahead without Russia’s presence. The case centers on Russia’s official explanation for its invasion of Ukraine, which President Vladimir Putin has said is supposed to lead to the 'denazification' of Ukraine and end a 'genocide' in eastern Ukraine.... Ukraine seeks an emergency order that would require Russia to halt its invasion. Both countries have signed the 1948 treaty on the prevention of genocide, and Russia would in theory be mandated to follow the court decision.... [O]ne of its long-time lawyers, Alain Pellet, resigned last week, writing in an open letter that it 'has become impossible to represent in forums dedicated to the application of the law a country that so cynically despises it.'"

WaPo reports.

13 comments:

rehajm said...: Should the court rule against the invasion Putin has a Hawaiian judge standing by…; 3/7/22, 5:37 AM
tim in vermont said...: I don't know if the Ukrainians are Nazis, but they are hyper-nationalist and they are socialist. I don't know if they were committing genocide, but the Ukrainian side has been prosecuting a civil war and shelling the Russian side, killing 13,000 civilians, ever since the Russian half refused to go along with the American backed coup.

It was actually the Ukrainians interfering in our elections far more and effectively than the random troublemaking the Russians were doing. Fabricated evidence from Ukraine against Trump appeared on the front page of the New York Times in August of 2016 and led to the resignation of Trump's campaign manager. Ukraine provided some of the basis of the dishonest Russiagate witch hunt and Ukraine was partly behind the bullshit impeachment.

If you have been lapping up anti-Putin propaganda that has been dialed up to eleven the past five years, you probably think it's evil to try to understand the motivations of a brutal dictator who, nonetheless, has control of a nuclear arsenal that could take us back to the Stone Age, those of us who live.; 3/7/22, 6:16 AM
Michael K said...: League of Nations 2.1; 3/7/22, 6:50 AM
Temujin said...: Someone some day might be able to explain the actual usefulness of the United Nations and it's offshoots, but I doubt it. While it's good to have a forum or a space to host a forum of different nations to discuss a crucial world event, it should only be opened for that purpose. It serves no purpose beyond that other than keeping busy the high-end catering companies in New York and Brussels.

What would Russia do if they had come down against them? Would Russia just stop?

Please. They hold no power over any nation, nor any strong leader. But they do make a great martini.; 3/7/22, 7:14 AM
Leland said...: Well if that is how the “top UN court” works, then why should anyone show up. Don’t get me wrong, I rather there not even exist a UN court.; 3/7/22, 7:37 AM
MikeR said...: The usefulness of the UN ended when it was formed, when the Soviet Union was given a permanent veto. They hoped it would end war, but that can only be when everyone in charge doesn't want war.; 3/7/22, 8:26 AM
Tom T. said...: tim in vermont, by "Russian side," do you mean the parts of Ukraine that Putin invaded in 2014?; 3/7/22, 8:40 AM
GRW3 said...: UN Court spokesman says the court instructed Russia to end the war, noting there would be a harsh letter to follow.; 3/7/22, 9:00 AM
Ceciliahere said...: The U.N. Court??? Is that another farce that we are supposed to be taking seriously???

The Biden Administration is a bunch of fuck up artists. I can’t believe that this President and the people working for him could be this incompetent and stupid. They have to be doing this on purpose. Because there is no other explanation for this gross incompetence. The U.S. knew that Russia would invade Ukraine and should have been sending weapons to Ukraine starting last Fall. Now, everybody is scrambling trying to get some help to them. Putin is emboldened with Joe in the White House. He is not afraid of this President and will roll right over him and the European allies. Putin has China backing him up. So, now what do we do?

I see refugees fleeing Ukraine and creating a humanitarian disaster. It’s a blood bath going on.

Biden has screwed the American people by shutting down so much of our ability to produce oil and natural gas. At this rate, we will be paying three times the price of what we were during the Trump years and we will be helping fund Putin to wage his wars. WTF

I read how the Biden Administration is approaching Venezuela looking to import their oil. Imagine, we are now going to prop up another murdering dictator by doing business with Maduro because we are desperate for energy to run our own country? So, we are now depending on Russia, and asking Venezuela, OPEC and eventually Iran (?) to pump more oil for our needs. Hell, don’t these countries cause damage to climate change with their fossil fuel production. So one way or another, we are still dependent on oil, natural gas but we stopped producing so much here in this country because of “climate change”? Maybe, climate change only happens in the USA? Other oil and coal producing countries do not seem to give a damn about climate change, except for talking about it and promising that some day in the distant future they will comply with green energy agreements. What a joke! How stupid are we? We have put ourselves in such a weakened position and look like a bunch of fools to the rest of the world. We should be producing energy and exporting it to our friends and allies and not depending on our enemies for our life’s blood.

Biden was yelling at the SOTU to Make in America, Buy American, everything America and American BUT not our most necessary and single most important commodity OIL that runs the whole fucking country!

I cannot believe that we will have to live with Biden and his dopey people running this country for another three years. So far, in just a little over one year he has caused so much damage that it is frightening to think what could be in store for us.; 3/7/22, 9:04 AM
rcocean said...: Putin - the Hague Court has made its ruling.

Now let them enforce.; 3/7/22, 9:16 AM
n.n said...: 32 trimesters since the violent overthrow of the Ukrainian government by Western-backed forces in progress, without reconciliation or remediation by the regime in Kiev to those injured or affected. The Slavic Spring in the Obama, Biden, Clinton, McCain, Biden Spring series with "benefits".; 3/7/22, 11:57 AM
tim in vermont said...: "im in vermont, by "Russian side," do you mean the parts of Ukraine that Putin invaded in 2014?"

By that do you mean the parts of Ukraine who refused to go along with the US backed coup a few months before that, and have been under attack by the Ukrainian army ever since?

How you see it depends on when you start the clock. Don't let them blind you to what has really been happening there. There are no good guys, and this is not the pure moral cause that justifies WW3.; 3/7/22, 12:11 PM
NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...: Take it to the League of Nations.; 3/7/22, 8:02 PM