Strictly invitation-only funeral
The vestiges of British imperialism include a clear protocol for the relevant acts of its Crown, as Head of State, with perfectly prepared plans with their respective names. The funeral for Queen Elizabeth II of England is one of the most relevant and transcendent events of this century, and to attend it is essential to have a strict invitation. More than 500 personalities from all over the world, including heads of state and government, have received the precious letter of British protocol, except those who are not welcome, for reasons deemed appropriate.
This is the case of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, and other leaders of other countries such as Syria, Belarus, Venezuela, Afghanistan and Myanmar who are not expected to attend, or others who can only go to their ambassadors, such as Nicaragua or North Korea. The reasons why the British protocol excludes these dictators are obvious, although for the same or similar reasons China and Cuba, for example, could also be included. It is safe to say that there are no half measures in the Foreign Office at a very turbulent time on the international stage. Perhaps the famous statement by a British political leader that the UK does not have a foreign policy, it has interests, is more apt than ever.
On the world stage, the funeral in London serves to assess who is who and on whose side. US President Joe Biden has insisted in recent hours that Putin's Russia would become an international pariah if its president orders the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine to deal with the offensive by President Zelenski's army. For the camp of liberal democracies facing the expansionist aggression of Putin's authoritarian populism and his acolytes, his absence from London sends a clear message of firmness and determination: not even now will interests come before the principles and values at stake. Ukraine is the bloody scene, with actions by Russian military units as despicable as the vicious killings of civilians in Izium. It is also the scene of tension in Taiwan.
Russian and Chinese leaders in Samarkand have affirmed that a change of international order is underway. That is the key and they do not hide it. Above all, the Chinese communists who dispute international economic, commercial, political and military hegemony with the United States and the European Union. However, their internal problems indicate that the long-running Russian invasion of Ukraine is not in their favour. The Indian leader's claim to Putin that this is no time for war was met with a response from Putin. Unsettling.