Imperialists’ high-handedness and arbitrariness are getting ever pronounced.

In gross violation of the international norms the imperialist reactionary forces are overtly committing invasions of sovereign countries, while resorting to proxy wars and internal disturbance to topple the governments aspiring to independent development.

The US-led Western forces have committed a huge amount of latest military hardware including long-range strike means to the Ukrainian front, adding fuel to the persistent armed clash in Europe. Running against the international community’s unanimous desire for stability in the Middle East, they have handed over weapons of mass destruction to Israel to trample on the Palestinians’ rights to sovereignty and existence.

This leads to an uninterrupted flare-up of clash and war across the world, detrimental to peace and security.

It is vital to safeguarding sovereignty and peace whether to opt for concession and compromise in fear of the aggressive arbitrariness of the imperialists or to rise up against them.

By nature, imperialism is the enemy of peace that is aggressive and lives only on war and plunder.

It is the aggressive trait of imperialism to force you to retreat ten or a hundred steps if you back away one step and to stamp you out if you bend your knees.

Libya, once a power in Africa, played into the hands of the West, which speaks volumes about what concession and submission to imperialism result in.

In the past Libya was known for its strong anti-imperialist and independent stance. It adhered strictly to its independent stand at home and abroad and took proactive measures to build up its military capabilities, and faced down the military threats and intervention of the imperialists.

In a bid to remove Libya out of their way to the implementation of their hegemonic strategy, the US and other Western countries used a carrot and stick approach, saying that if it accepts their demand they would guarantee its security and development.

Discouraged by their outrageous nuclear threats from the imperialists and tenacious appeasement of the West, Libya declared in December 2003 that it would unveil and scrap its unconventional weapons programme, foolishly expecting that it would receive security guarantee and compensation from the West in return.

The declaration of submission by once a diehard anti-American African country was a prelude to the downfall of the regional power and vortex of war.

In return for succumbing to pressure and giving up military build-up, Libya only sustained spiraling socio-political chaos, outbreak of a civil war and ignominious collapse of the government.

The same is true for Iraq. Although it accepted weapons inspection and even threw the presidential palace open in the hope the West would lift sanctions, the imperialists showed no mercy to the country. As the former stepped back, the latter grew more outrageous and demanded more concessions, finally crushing it by force.

It is an old trick and furious trait of the imperialists to create illusion and terror among the people of other countries and attack them if they show any sign of weakness.

The reality clearly shows that expecting “goodwill” from the imperialists will end up being ruining oneself.

In order to defend sovereignty and peace, it is needed to see through the weakness of the imperialists and fight against them with courage, not falling for their bravado.

Un Jong Chol