A world of chaos, with peace in short supply
World Peace Day highlights ongoing global conflicts including Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine raising concerns over rising geopolitical tensions
Years ago, we accidentally bumped into each other in Anantnag. He started narrating his tragic story, saying he was being harassed due to political reasons. He contacted the deputy commissioner with his complaint, but neither the DC nor anyone else was ready to listen to him. Sheer helplessness drove him to tears. Terrorists in military outfits, military men with long beards, would keep knocking at his doors at will. He said they barged into the house without permission and lamented the misfortune that befell him. That encounter kept popping up in my mind yesterday (September 21), which is marked as World Peace Day.
The United Nations designated World Peace Day in 1981, hoping that at least on this day, the world would observe a ceasefire and there would be no terrorist activity. It didn’t turn out that way. Without dwelling too much on history, if we focus on the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts, we would find that the former is into its fourth year, while the latter is poised to enter its third year. Both nations are members of the UN: Russia has veto power in the permanent Security Council. Still, both Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu, leaders of Russia and Israel, respectively, have ignored the pleas of the UN.
We can’t expect anything from terrorists, but how should one react when nations bound by UN conventions start promoting terrorism?
The Pahalgam terror attack is a prime example. We are all witnesses to the kind of despicable act perpetrated by terror outfits sponsored by Pakistan. In retaliation, India destroyed many terror camps in Pakistan by launching Operation Sindoor. The director general of military operations told Pakistani counterparts the very night that their operation was over. We can stop here itself. But Pakistan retaliated. The world watched with bated breath for three days as two nuclear powers engaged in an aerial duel, hoping it wouldn’t spiral into a full-blown nuclear war.
The news of the ceasefire was received with great relief worldwide. But the question remains: What happens if Pakistan doesn’t mend its ways? People were grappling with the possibilities when Thailand and Cambodia clashed on their border. The way the two countries used air power and heavy artillery to wrest control of a monastery shocked the world. The global political atmosphere has turned incendiary, clearly. The Cold War developing between China and the US will make it even more precarious.
The current crisis began on February 24, 2022, when Russia attacked Ukraine. The conflict has affected close to 10 million people, yet there’s no end in sight to this bloody confrontation. Ukraine’s effective counter has taken the sheen off Russian strategic invincibility, but it does little to assuage the common person who has lost everything in the war.
The situation in Gaza is worse. The Israeli army is hell bent on exiling two million Palestinian residents. Where will they go? The neighbouring Muslim nations have shut their doors on them. The Muslim Brotherhood’s threats have long been discredited as mere sloganeering.
The rich Arab States started speaking up only after Israeli jets attacked Qatar. The nation is home to the biggest US military base in West Asia. A question arises: Did Netanyahu conduct the raids without a US nod? The Arab nations rattled by Israeli chutzpah are closing ranks after decades. A surprising fact came to light during the India-Pak conflict. A Turkish naval ship and officers were present in Pakistan during the operation. Turkey, like China, provided drones and diplomatic support to Pakistan. Even Azerbaijan, driven by Muslim fealty, supported Pakistan.
Last week, news of a military alliance between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan dominated the headlines. It’s clear that nuclear-armed Pakistan is flexing its muscles and wants to assume a lead role in the Muslim world, and is finding support.
These are worrying signs and do not augur well for India. The reason is that between the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the spread of Covid-19 in 2019, at least a billion people have been lifted out of extreme poverty. The pandemic delivered a huge blow to these efforts. It obstructed the growing feeling of vasudhaiva kutumbakam (the world is one family). During the pandemic, many social scientists aired their concerns that the selfishness emerging from such a situation would intensify in the coming years. They weren’t wrong. In his second stint in the Oval Office, US president Donald Trump has resorted to tariff terror that has furthered alienation and forging of new groupings; it’s inspiring a European bloc, a former Communist bloc, Asean, and African identities. The question is how many blocs does the world intend to divide itself into? Who benefits?
The disaffection and confusion at the top are percolating to the last person in the queue, as many nations are descending into internal chaos and conflict. The inferno of dissatisfaction among the masses is threatening almost every society. What happened in neighbouring Nepal is a cause for worry. Earlier, we witnessed similar storms in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. In the last three months, England, Australia and many parts of Europe saw demonstrations that challenged the West’s secular democratic credentials.
We are heading towards unknown and unfair times. There can be no bigger threat to world peace. Similar situations emerging during the 1930s ended up in World War II. Why do we never learn from the past?
Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. The views expressed are personal
