Blitz game with Garri Kasparov

The famous chess player Garri Kasparov lashed out at the Russian government, Western Europe, the United Nations and the whole world order in an article published by The Wall Street Journal.

Mr Kasparov started with the ongoing conflict in Iraq. According to Kasparov, "jihadists" are fighting against the liberal values that are embodied by the United States and Great Britain. He believes the anti-terrorism coalition should root out the cause of the problem. By handing power over to the UN they will only make things worse. Nearly all the UN Security Council member-countries, apart from the U.S. and Britain, are interested in continuous violence in Iraq, according to Kasparov. He also proposes that the UN that has played out completely should be replaced by an international body that would rest on western values, i.e. a club with no room for regimes supporting terrorism and denying their people basic human rights.

If "jihadists" fight against liberal values, Bush and Blair are fighting for them. However, Iraqis, as well as billions of other people, do not share these values. What about those people? Shall they be air-raided under the guise of the supposed possession of weapons of mass destruction?

The UN undoubtedly needs to be reformed. However, its leaky roof shelters billions of ordinary, innocent people from the arbitrary rule of the high and mighty. Besides, replacing the UN by an elite international club would be a grave violation of the liberal values the chess player promotes so ardently. And what about law and individual freedom, the individual's right to independent thinking, to believe in whatever he/she likes, or dance to tam tams?

Besides, whom will Kasparov invite to join the club beside the United States and Britain? France and Germany will not suit as they prefer endless talks and employ their know-how - "quiet scandals." Russia is not an appropriate candidate either as its scandals are on the contrary too huge. China will not be invited to join either for certain reasons. The list of inappropriate candidates is rather long to read out in a blitz game.

Europe, Russia, the East and even the United States have realised that the primitive use of force has not defeated, but rather promoted international terrorism and anti-American sentiments all over the world. The Iraqi war also undermined international law, split the European Union, NATO, and certainly the Security Council.

Whatever difficulties the UN may have today, it remains the only forum where countries can address their problems together. Kasparov's hope that the anti-terrorism coalition can root out the cause of terrorism on its own is at least naive as there are several causes of that evil and they require both military, political, economic, social and other approaches.

To eradicate terrorism countries will have to revise their moral standards. The world must not be seen as a chessboard and people as pawns. The Frenchmen, Germans or Russians alike do not like such approaches.