A Balloon: Inflated by suspicion and suspense
A balloon falls in the category of a toy as long as it behaves in that manner.The moment any unknown flying object or a balloon exhibits a manoeuvre in a mischievous and erratic manner and while doing so enters into the domain of a neighbouring country’s sovereign airspace then creates a situation of suspense and suspicion that may invite diplomatic and military action.
Violation of airspace by any unknown flying object including balloons is against the rules of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) that have been agreed upon by the contracting states.
Once diplomatic talks fail to understand and resolve the issue, military action in the form of interception and bringing down the balloon to the ground by the affected country may be the last resort.
The Romanian surveillance system for detecting flying objects in their airspace detected the presence of a suspicious balloon flying southwest and took action. The country’s defence police combat forces were in action with NATO. Nothing was discovered at the end of the mission.
Nonetheless, the politics of suspecting and blaming the neighbour persists, as does a sense of insecurity in the affected country albeit internal disturbances as the opposition in the parliament always gets an opportunity to attack the present government on issues of internal security and stability.
However, the current circumstances, as a result of a series of such incidents around the world, are not conducive, as it appears that some countries are destabilizing the peaceful atmosphere. In the current circumstances, the UN may need to intervene immediately to prevent such countries from engaging in such activities. This issue can also, be discussed on the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) platform in order to find a long-term and justifiable solution for peaceful coexistence.
