By now you’re aware of the ongoing conflict in Eastern Europe as Russian military forces invade Ukraine and are bearing down on the capital city of Kyiv as this is being written, with officials expecting tank attacks.
The world is teetering on a knife’s edge as the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleads with the Western world to provide military assistance and stop what might very well become World War III and a Russia occupied Ukraine.
You may very well be thinking, “well we’re far away from Europe so why should we have to worry about this?” We’ll give you some points for consideration. Russia’s invasion threatens liberal democratic norms, could be the cause of a humanitarian crisis, threatens the peace that Europe has been under since WWII, and could have deep-lying global economic ramifications for financial recovery after the coronavirus turned the world on its head.
Still not convinced. Well, how about when the conflict in Ukraine and the sanctions posed against Russia starts affecting you through rising living costs? Now we’ve got your attention, haven’t we?
As we wrote in our morning newsletter, the price of fuel could increase, the Reserve Bank could increase the interest rate earlier than expected and lower demand for commodities would deter investors from emerging markets, which would negatively affect the rand.
Wandile Sihlobo writes about how the conflict in Ukraine will affect Africa’s food supply. Sihlobo writes that both Ukraine and Russia play a key role in the global wheat and maize supply chain and African leaders must pay attention to the crisis.
“African countries imported agricultural products worth US$4 billion from Russia in 2020. About 90% of this was wheat, and 6% was sunflower oil,” writes Sihlobo.
And Sihlobo isn’t the only one concerned with what the economic and agricultural ramifications are for Africa.
In a webinar held on Thursday, Stellenbosch University CST researcher, Dzvinka Kachur said Africa could expect further economic challenges to emerge from the Ukraine-Russia conflict while Russian National Research University Higher School of Economics professor, Irina Filatova said struggling authoritarian African regimes could be bolstered by Russia’s actions.
Filatova argued that Russia will try to reinvigorate its alliances with key African countries following its Ukraine invasion.
So just because we’re thousands of miles away from the conflict doesn’t mean we couldn’t see severe consequences for Russia’s actions that directly threaten our everyday life.
Here’s a roundup of interesting opinions, analyses, and editorials:
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine attacks its distinct history and reveals his imperial instincts – The Conversation
Ukraine: sanctions can still make a difference – but only if done right – The Conversation
Russia invading Ukraine proves world teetering on edge of cliff – The Citizen (for subscribers)
Make no mistake, Vladimir Putin wants more than Ukraine – Daily Maverick
EDITORIAL: From conscience of the world to ‘see no evil’ – Business Day (register to read)
EXPLAINER | Why Russia and Ukraine are fighting for Chernobyl nuclear disaster site – News24/Reuters
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