The Malaysian Flight MH17 tragedy

in the Persian Gulf, killing 290 passengers, has the world witnessed such a horrendous plane crash as the fate that befell Malaysian Flight MH17, prompting an international outpouring of grief and outrage. The aircraft, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala-Lumpur, was allegedly brought down by a surface-to-air missile in eastern Ukraine, an area where a […]

in the Persian Gulf, killing 290 passengers, has the world witnessed such a horrendous plane crash as the fate that befell Malaysian Flight MH17, prompting an international outpouring of grief and outrage. The aircraft, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala-Lumpur, was allegedly brought down by a surface-to-air missile in eastern Ukraine, an area where a civil war has been raging between separatists and Ukrainian forces, killing 298 innocent souls, most of them from the Netherlands.
Even before conducting an international independent investi-gation to ascertain the real cause of the crash, many in the West have rushed to judgment, pointing accusing fingers at Russia.  The demonization of President Vladimir Putin by the western media has been relentless. But the West is not entirely blameless in this tragedy, for it instigated the overthrow of a duly elected government in Ukraine – an action that triggered the conflict in the eastern part of the country.  
The downing of Flight MH17 has brought that conflict into sharper focus now, adding a sense of urgency on the need to end it, considering the threat it poses to international peace and security. Moreover, there have been criticisms as to why the airliner had been allowed to fly over a war zone in the first place, calling into question the role of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in ensuring the safety of international air travellers.
Ever since Russia’s annexation of Crimea, the war in eastern Ukraine has escalated, with Russia supporting the rebels and the West backing the authorities in Kiev. Following the MH17 crash, tougher sanctions have been added to those already imposed on Russia. But while the US has been at the forefront of imposing sanctions, the EU members have been more cautious, given their economic links to Russia. In particular, Germany, the largest economy in the EU, has extensive trade links with Russia – a fact which explains Berlin’s reluctance to impose tougher sanctions on Russia, not to talk of Europe’s dependence on Russian gas exports. So sanctions against Russia could be counterproductive.
The orchestrated campaign led by the US to name and shame Mr Putin with the hope that Russia would change its policy by withdrawing its support for the separatists in Ukraine may not work, given Russia’s security concerns.  President Putin’s popularity in Russia is high despite his demonization in the West. Many Russians see him as a redeemer who has come to restore Russia’s honour after its humiliation, following the collapse of the Soviet Union which he described as the greatest tragedy of the 20th century. Russia considers countries that were part of the former Soviet Union as its sphere of influence and has long feared encirclement by the West with the expansion of NATO.  Moscow has been hostile to attempts to bind Ukraine, one of Russia’s immediate neighbours, into the western alliance.  
In dealing with this complex issue, the West would do well to cooperate with Russia to use its leverage over the rebels to find a negotiated solution to the war in Ukraine. The US and the EU need Russia’s support on a number of other issues vital to their national security interests, too, such as the conflict over Iran’s nuclear project, the wars raging in Syria and Iraq, and the need to broker peace between Israel and Palestinians.  
The shooting down of Flight MH17 is another example of how a conflict in one area can affect other parts of the world. Unfortunately, it fails to dampen the appetite of the combatants in Ukraine for continuing the war. Two more government military jets have since been shot down in eastern Ukraine. The MH17 air crash ought to be a game changer that should bring the warring sides together as well as the US, EU and Russia in exploring ways of finding a negotiated settlement. It is also a wake-up call for the ICAO to review its policy, or lack of it, with regard to airliners flying over war zones. The crash itself should be thoroughly investigated and all those found culpable must be punished.