Scientists Against War: A Plea to World Leaders for Better Governance

Abstract

The current Russian war against Ukraine is of global concern. It builds on the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and subsequently the war in the Donbas region of Ukraine, and has become a large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine from three directions, Crimea in the south, Russia in the east, and Belarus in the north. Despite the geopolitical background that, in the eyes of Russia, justifies its annexation of regions in and around Ukraine, we cannot turn a blind eye towards the untold miseries of the citizens of the invaded country. Although it is unclear as to how the situation will unfold, what is clear is that lives are being lost, many civilians are being injured, traumatized, and valuable assets destroyed. Taking into consideration that the population of the countries involved in this conflict totals nearly 200 million citizens, many lives on both sides will be sacrificed, millions of people displaced, Europe will be overrun with new refugees, and global world economics will be disrupted by the war itself and by the sanctions imposed on Russia. The current global governance mechanisms are likely to be forever changed, with other players with malevolent intentions becoming emboldened to embark on expansionist ventures.