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Ukraine, international law and the security of small states
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Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Aiiarovna Dzhaparova speaking during the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 3, 2022.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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In the ancient world, there was no such thing as the rule of law. It was a world in which might was right. Small countries had no choice but to live under the mercy of bigger and more powerful countries.
There is a famous saying, in ancient Greece, that "the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must". In Chinese literature, we find a similar view about the fate of small countries. The ancient Chinese said that "small countries have no foreign policy".
