Ukraine-Russia Conflict: Best For Small Countries To Take Neutral Approach -- Analyst

By Rosmalis Anuar KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 (Bernama) -- The neutral approach taken by small countries in Southeast Asia – including Malaysia – in the face of the clash of major powers is the best way to avoid conflicts like the one between Russia and Ukraine, said an analyst. Geostrategic expert Prof Dr Azmi Hassan said small countries should not be in favour of any big power; instead, they should be good at using the situation to stabilise the geopolitics in their respective areas. When contacted by Bernama, the Senior Fellow of Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research (NASR) said the ASEAN strategy of adopting neutrality had proven effective with stability in the South China Sea without any physical conflict, despite the clash between the two major powers in the region – the United States (US) and China. “This is in contrast to the Eastern European side; Ukraine is too much in favour of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), one side only and not neutral, so this is what angers Russia. "US President Joe Biden's Indo-Pacific strategy to persuade countries in the region, including ASEAN, to side with the US and their target is China, (is) similar to NATO's target strategy (which) is Russia. “But unlike ASEAN, we do not want to side with any party, and say we want both superpowers. Although ASEAN is small, we are able to stabilise the Indo-Pacific region, ”he said. On concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin's actions in invading Ukraine – and the Crimean Peninsula before that – would lead to a new era of colonialism, Azmi said he disagreed with that view as the conflict had to do with the history of both countries. “This conflict did not start a month ago – it started a long time ago, not only since 2014 (Russia’s invasion of the Crimean Peninsula), but far back. This is not colonialism, but a conflict between two great powers – NATO and Russia in Eastern Europe," he said. He added that Russia's action in attacking Ukraine was also to serve as a warning to other countries in Eastern Europe, including Finland and Sweden, not to join NATO; however, it did not happen. Azmi is of the view that the war will surely bring geopolitical change in Eastern Europe if the countries that have so far taken a neutral stance rethink their strategies after seeing Russia's actions. “But I see the strategy of Biden and other European leaders to happen because they want more countries in Eastern Europe to join NATO. "The Finnish people are urging their Prime Minister to look into NATO; Sweden, too; there are already rumours they need great power after seeing what happened to Ukraine. "So in this case, there will be geopolitical changes because small or neutral countries will join one of the big powers in their area," he said. The Russo-Ukrainian war, which began on Feb. 24, reportedly claimed the lives of more than 800 civilians and caused more than 3.27 million people to flee to neighbouring countries, according to the United Nations (UN), noting the figure may be higher. -- BERNAMA