Guterres and the BRICS summit: A dangerous alliance with authoritarianism

Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres’ decision to go to the BRICS summit in Kazan, Tatarstan, highlights disappointment in judgment. Various authoritarian nations are attending this meeting. Which is concerning for anyone who cares about human rights and fairness in the world.

Russian President, Vladimir Putin, is also present at this meeting. Guterres sends an unclear message in front of him. This message from the Secretary-General goes against the values he is supposed to support. In this way, the credibility of the United Nations is also weakened, especially when its leaders stand with such leaders. 

Guterres should pay attention to the issues that these nations represent, instead of celebrating the summit. There are many nations here that are well-known for violating human rights and strict government. Some of them are Russia, China, and Iran. His attendance can raise serious questions on the sincerity of the justice commitment of the United Nations. The dealings of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres with such authoritarian leaders leads to confusion in people’s minds. 

Since the Russia-Ukraine war began, Guterres did not pass any comment on it and stayed silent about Russia’s aggressive actions. His responsibility has been asked for peace, but he has not criticized the Russian President, Putin. He is the main person behind the war. But his efforts seem like he tries to stay neutral. 

This silence has two meanings. One, it may be due to weakness, and second due to support for Putin. This neutral behavior raises many questions in ‌his leadership. Why does he not highlight the name of a war criminal? His hesitation makes people wonder if he has other reasons for staying quiet

Guterres has not shown the moral leadership the world needs. By attending events like the BRICS summit, he gives power to dictators who hurt their own people. This is disrespectful to the victims of these regimes and sends the wrong message. His actions may even encourage violent leaders like Putin to continue their harmful behavior without fear of punishment.

The weakness of the United Nations is clearer than before. Why has he not taken any action against Russia’s aggressive behavior? Many times, this nation broke international law, but the UN did nothing to punish them. This makes it hard for global nations to believe in the UN. The presence of Guterres at the BRICS summit raises a key question: what is the UN’s purpose if it cannot protect peace, security, and justice? It is a sign of the powerless, and the UN’s value seems meaningless in real-world politics. 

Even worse, Guterres’ actions may signal to other dictators that they can get away with their bad actions. By meeting with Putin and leaders like him, Guterres is indirectly supporting human rights abuses and aggression.This sets a dangerous example, showing that the world might ignore the actions of dictators if they help diplomatic goals or personal gains.

Leaders with power should carefully do their actions. This behavior of the leader shows that democracy and human rights are not important. Therefore, strong leadership is needed to tackle the situation. Furthermore, as more authoritarian governments grow, good leadership is required to push back. 

Same for Guterres, he needs to think about his actions again. The BRICS summit is not related to peace. It is the event where dictators support each other’s cruel actions. By attending this event, Guterres is not assisting in diplomacy. His presence is going against the values that the United Nations was built on.  

A true leader stands with justice and criticizes ‌groups who harm justice. Guterres should criticize Putin for his aggressive actions against Ukraine. The world is not in such a situation as to tolerate leaders who are unsure when facing tyranny. 

Guterres needs to remember his duty as a global leader and take strong action against the wrongs happening today. The world expects this from him, and humanity deserves nothing less. Based on his actions, Guterres does not seem to deserve the position he holds.