Warring nations in the ongoing Middle East crisis have been urged to lay aside their interests and pursue diplomacy to prevent further destruction of lives and property.
An academic at the Department of History and International Diplomacy, Rivers State University, Dr Bariledum Kia, who made the call enumerated the main issues in the conflict as extremism, terrorism, possession of nuclear weapons, negation of human rights, and interest in oil.
Dr Kia noted that although the Iranian government had demonstrated a high level of high-handedness, invasion wouldn’t have been an option.
“There are international law that regulates the conduct of states when it comes to interstate relationships, either from bilateral or multilateral dimensions, which should be respected.
But now the action of Israel and the United States, irrespective of the issue and the magnitude of what they perceive to be the threat, violates international bodies’ principles. They would have allowed these Organisations to find a focus at least using diplomacy and dialogue, which is at the centre of cardinal principles of the United Nations in resolving international conflict”, he noted.
He highlighted the negative effects of the conflicts, such as hyperinflation, which would cut across the world.
“Coordinated attack in Iran is a negation of the UN principle. It renders international law ineffective. So it will affect Nigeria irrespective of where you find yourself, because Nigeria is a mono-economic state, depending entirely on oil.
So when the price of what we consume, for example, Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, increases, the prices of goods, commodities, and transportation increase,” he concluded.
The History and International Diplomacy expert noted that the United Nations Security Council members and other power blocs around the world should call the United States to order to prevent further abuse of sovereignty.
