: Ukraine Must Be the Last War of the Age of Impunity #WorldNEWS Russia’s invasion has rightly put Ukraine in headlines around the world. The brazen effort to undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty

Ukraine Must Be the Last War of the Age of Impunity #WorldNEWS
Russia’s invasion has rightly put Ukraine in headlines around the world. The brazen effort to undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty and now the growing attacks on civilian targets have shocked the global public.
But while what is happening in Ukraine is abhorrent, it isn’t an aberration. Russia’s behavior in this war should open our eyes to what has become the brutal standard of warfare for a range of combatants around the world. We’ve seen horrific siege tactics used in places like Syria. We’ve seen the bombing of hospitals and other civilian infrastructure in places like Yemen. We’ve seen the targeting of civilians in places like the Sahel. The war in Ukraine is the capstone on the Age of Impunity that has defined the past decade of conflict worldwide—an era where too many think the rules are for suckers and the laws of war are optional.
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The human costs of the Age of Impunity are staggering. The International Rescue Committee’s 2022 Emergency Watchlist, which highlights the 20 countries most at risk of worsening humanitarian crisis, finds record numbers of people in need, record numbers of people on the run from violence and persecution, and record numbers of civilians and aid workers exposed to extreme threats to life and livelihood. Each record will only grow with the war in Ukraine, with global grain prices skyrocketing, 2 million Ukrainians already fleeing across borders, and reports of humanitarian corridors and other opportunities for aid being targeted by the Russian military.
There is a massive humanitarian job to contain the suffering in Ukraine, which is rightly commanding a lot of attention. The IRC is on the ground working in Ukraine and Poland. It is however vital that civilians also suffering in other places don’t pay the price in loss of attention and resources. The opposite should be the case. Support for Ukrainians should not come at the expense of Afghans, Yemenis, Ethiopians, or Syrians who face equally brutal tactics and disregard for the laws of war.
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The easiest place to start is by a commitment to channel 50% of total international aid to fragile and conflict-affected states— given that less than half of the U. N. ’s global humanitarian appeal was funded last year. This is an especially urgent need with donor conferences for both Yemen and Afghanistan coming up this month. Next is by expanding resettlement and other pathways to protection for refugees, and by financially supporting the frontline countries that host the vast majority of refugees, 85% of which are in low and middle-income countries like Jordan or Uganda who have been hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees for a decade or more.