by Kennedy Graham, Published March 5, 2014 on the Frogblog, a part of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand website

We have an old-fashioned crisis on our hands regarding events in the Ukraine.  It is a test of 21st-century diplomacy whether it can be resolved peacefully and with political foresight.

Current international law and global norms offer some guidance as to how the situation should be resolved.  But as with every crisis, there are conflicting issues at stake. The challenge is to cut a critical path of principle through a complex situation of fact.

The two cardinal principles that underpin our international community are these. First, non-violence and peaceful settlement: no crisis has ever been resolved in the modern era through the use of force. If force is employed, the tensions are simply buried. The Crimea will be no exception. Second, sovereignty and territorial integrity: no country has the right to unilaterally intervene in the domestic affairs of another. There can be no surrender of these principles.  No subordinate reason can be advanced to overturn them.

Read the full article on the Frogblog.