Israel demands that Iran must be prevented from ever having nuclear weapons, because the Jewish state, despite having nuclear weapons itself, would be in great danger and the West concurs in symphonic unison.

Russia demands that Ukraine should never join Nato or possess nuclear weapons because all those weapons and troops would be a security threat to Russia, the West rejects Russia's demands in symphonic unison because Ukraine “is a sovereign country and is free to choose her own destiny”.

In simple language, this is double standards by the West. Russophobia is permissible but Israeliphobia is impermissible. Just ask the Palestinians. What is good for Israel/USA cannot be good for Russia. What was the Cuban crisis about in 1962?

It was a similar phenomenon as with Ukraine in 2022. Cuba is not sovereign to host Soviet arms and military forces, but Ukraine is to host those from US/Nato. Double standards. The US and her allies and partners are free to order weaker states (like Iran) to refrain from doing certain things which “allies and partners” are free to do. Double standards.

The US and her allies and partners demand of Russia to do in Ukraine what they themselves failed to do in Serbia and thus Nato bombed the country till Kosovo was established as a sovereign state. Double standards.

But Russia is not Libya or Iraq or Syria or Afghanistan or Palestine. It's a nuclear power. Still the US/Nato ignore Russia's security concerns in Ukraine and continue in their containment encirclement of Russia with disdain. Russia upped the ante in return.

Prof Themba Sono, email