It is frustrating to observe the West employing multilateral institutions to advance their own interests, while we as people of color neglect to utilize these same systems to advance our own race interests.
The recent ICC decision to charge Putin, under pressure from the West, highlights this point. We cannot solely blame the West for using these institutions to perpetuate white supremacy, but we must also hold ourselves accountable for not doing the same.
It is concerning to note that African and global South nations have not utilized the same legal systems to hold the West accountable for their patent crimes against third world countries.
Zimbabwe, for example, endured illegal sanctions for 20 years, without seeking recourse through the UN or its court, the ICJ.
Mugabe’s inaction on this issue for two decades, begs the question, why did he not report the Western sanctions to the UN for so long?
Furthermore, why have all third world countries not banded together to pressure the ICC and ICJ, to charge NATO Presidents with war crimes that have resulted in the deaths of over three million Arabs, in the Middle East since 2001?
It is perplexing to note that even in the face of the ICC’s unprocedural charge of Putin, who is not a member of the ICC, for alleged crimes committed in Ukraine, which is also not a member of the ICC, third world countries have not canceled their membership to this Kangaroo court.
The passivity and ignorance of third world leaders, are the reasons why the West takes advantage of us.
The arduous efforts of #ZASM to secure its own government’s backing in its legal endeavors (#ZASMvsSABanks), aimed at contesting the sanctions levied against the same government, with the intention of establishing a legal precedent that will deter Western entities from continuing to impose illegal sanctions on Zimbabweans, serve to underscore the reality of how African leaders have no clue how to use “The System” to neutralize white supremacy and advance black interests.
The failure of our officials to prioritize this case (which is of national security importance), over individual interests, contributes to the problem highlighted above.
As a result, we surely cannot complain about the West serving their own racial interests if our leaders deliberately betray African interests, to remain victims.
Rutendo Matinyarare, Chairman of ZASM.
