Lavrov Calls Out Western Arrogance: Two-Faced Foreign Policies & NATO's Inefficiency in Africa
Western Arrogance Under Fire: Two-Faced Foreign Policies and NATO's Inefficiency in Africa
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In this episode, Sputnik Africa will be examining Russia's foreign minister's reflections on the diplomatic landscape of 2024, where he outlined Russia's key achievements and addressed the issues shaping current affairs. AfroVerdict host joins experts to analyze the importance of Lavrov's words not only for Moscow but far beyond Russia's borders.
During Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's first press conference of 2025, he criticized the West's perceived arrogance and self-righteousness in global affairs, particularly its tendency to impose its version of democracy on other nations.
This take is supported by Dr. Ntsikelelo Breakfast, professor at the Department of History and Political Studies at the Nelson Mandela University. The expert believes that Western powers "apply double standards" in their foreign policies, despite those being based on national interests, as is the case with "all foreign policies."
"For instance, if you look at how some Western powers have been turning a blind eye to the Gaza Strip, it leaves much to be desired [...] There are many examples of abuse of human rights and how they've turned a blind eye to the violation of other people's rights and how they want to stand up for other people that they might want to benefit from their situation," he says.
Russia's top diplomat also stated that the West is no longer in a position "to plunder African countries like in colonial times." Considering the increased attention to the question of reforming the United Nations Security Council, Africa's unity is as critical as ever.
"[Reforming the UNSC] would be a step in the right direction to have access to a permanent seat. But, so long as Africa is on the margins of the economy, its voice will always be undermined. So Africa needs to step up to the plate in terms of having a voice internationally," Dr. Breakfast opines.
Against the backdrop of Lavrov's take on the West's destabilizing effect across the globe, specifically that of Ukraine, Dr. Vladimir Antwi-Danso, Dean and Director of Academic Affairs at the Ghana Armed Forces Command & Staff College (GAFCSC) in Accra, comments on the inefficiency of NATO forces, specifically in combating terrorism in Africa.
This comes after a captured Ukrainian border patrol officer highlighted the poor standards of NATO training officers, which, according to him, are not suited for modern warfare.
"The inefficiencies that we see in, especially, African countries are because of the rudeness and the intransigence of the NATO forces. [...] The reports about inexperience are real; they are real because NATO is rude and wants to force their doctrine any way they go, and that is why they have been failing from country to country," he states.
The Ghanaian expert believes that the difference in regional security needs and NATO security needs will eventually lead to a failure.
"NATO is a little fragile today because of the largest ones and the discrepancies in the security arrangement. [The security concerns of smaller EU member states] are lumped together in the belief that they are a democratic kind of cooperative effort against a non-democratic Russia or non-democratic part of the world," Dr. Antwi-Danso explains.
He believes that despite a growing trend for multipolarity, "NATO doesn't want to see a peaceful world" and would rather "expand."
"With the failure in Africa and the failure in Ukraine, I think there will be a rethinking of global security," he states.
To hear what else the experts has to say, check out the entire episode of the AfroVerdict podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.
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