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A year after MH17: The lessons for Russia

Jul 17, 2015Ivan TsvetkovOPINION333 510

If Russia wants the world to view it as a great power it needs to do a

!etter "o! of assu#ing responsi!ility for its role in the MH17 disaster$

MH17 flight recovery team memers talk to each as they are guar!e! y "ro# 

$ussian reel fighter% in one of the areas of the Malaysia &irlines 'light 17

"lane crash in the village of Hraove, (onetsk region, eastern )kraine Tues!ay,

*ov+ 11, 201+ -hoto. &- 

 %or a very different ta&e read: ' The MH17 tragedy has !e(o#e a geopoliti(al ga#e ' 

The t/elve months since the Malaysia &irlines MH17 catastro"he in the skies

over eastern )kraine have sho/n that the "rice of "olitical miscalculation in the

mo!ern /orl! is far greater than it /as !eca!es or centuries ago+

The trage!y has not een forgotten+ &n international investigation closely

monitore! y the me!ia is ongoing, an! various o"tions for ringing to ustice

those res"onsile for the !eath of the 2 "assengers an! cre/memers are

eing !iscusse!+ &n! that is !es"ite the fact that almost no one rememers thehun!re!s or even thousan!s of victims of arme! conflict across &frica or the

Mi!!le ast, re"orts of /hich are a near !aily occurrence+

To all a""earances, it is not ust that the victims of MH17 inclu!e! many

uro"eans, &ustralians an! citi4ens of other !evelo"e! countries+ The site of

the trage!y, /hich until uite recently ha! een a "eaceful, "ros"erous "lace,

far from any kno/n 6hot s"ot, ma!e /hat ha""ene! even more e8traor!inary+

The investigation into the inci!ent, /hich has involve! a variety of technical

e8"erts, ournalists an! "oliticians re"resenting !ifferent si!es of the )krainian

conflict, has not only given rise to many versions of the trage!y, ut also

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un!erline! one very un"leasant fact for $ussia+ )ntil the arme! conflict on its

or!ers !ies !o/n for goo!, /ith no s"ora!ic flare#u"s, it /ill e very !ifficult

for the country to assert its international re"utation as a great "o/er+

The most im"ortant criterion for memershi" of to!ay9s clu of 6res"onsile

great "o/ers is the aility to "revent arme! conflict in one9s imme!iatevicinity+ :uccess in the 21st century is measure! not only in terms of ;(- "er

ca"ita an! level of technological !evelo"ment, ut also the ca"acity to ensure

staility an! security in one9s 4one of res"onsiility

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east /ill feign a!herence to the 6uro"ean choice or the 6euitale multi"olar

/orl! or!er+ That9s not ho/ it is, an! the victims of MH17 /ill long serve as a

vivi! remin!er of that+

&n honorale /ay out for $ussia, as a great "o/er, /oul! e to sto" the "etty

lame game /ith )kraine an! to o"enly a!mit its in!irect cul"aility for /hatha""ene!+ @as it not $ussia9s "olitical an! !i"lomatic miscalculations that

ultimately le! to civil /ar an! the shooting !o/n of a civilian "lane in a $ussian#

s"eaking area of a neighoring countryB

Is it really /orth "ointing the finger of lame at the )nite! :tates or some

other e8ternal force for fomenting the )krainian crisisB &fter all, such

incriminations confer a !egree of omni"otence that the accuse! !o not an!

cannot "ossily "ossess+

Cn the occasion of the first anniversary of the MH17 !isaster, the $ussianauthorities shoul! think aout some form of com"ensation for the families of

the victims, even if it sets the treasury ack hun!re!s of millions of !ollars+ It9s

"ossile that some of $ussia9s foes might consi!er such com"ensation as an

a!mission of guilt, ut in reality it /oul! e confirmation of $ussia9s aility as a

great "o/er to assume res"onsiility for a trage!y that resulte! "artly from its

insufficiently coherent "olicy in a region that even official government

!ocuments refer to as a 64one of foreign "olicy interests+

The o"inion of the author may not necessarily reflect the "osition of $ussia

(irect or its staff+

333 510

Tags:

MH17

$ussia

)kraine

(onas

foreign "olicy

$elate! :tories

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The #edia !attle over MH17: The )re#lin vs$ the world

The tragedy of MH17 as seen through so(ial #edia

MH17: Russia is !eing tried in the (ourt of glo!al opinion

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