…?

What is happening to our world?  As if it was not enough to have the long drawn war between Russia and Ukraine!  The conflict that started in 2014, escalated into a war in 2022, the largest invasion of an European country since world war II. To add to that, now we have a bloody war in the western Asian belt. It’s almost 23 days that Israel has declared war against Palestine, after a Palestinian militant group, led by Hamas, struck southern Israel. Hezbollah, another militant group from Lebanon, struck northern Israel, soon after. Many countries of the region are involved overtly or covertly. Israel has sealed the Gaza strip, depriving its inhabitants of basic necessities.  News of deaths and distress is all we hear about from the region. Common people are suffering.

Then, we have the diplomatic spat between India and Canada and many other geopolitical issues persisting over a length of time threatening to cause major conflicts…..why?   What are we fighting for? Have we really gone back to the barbarian age? With the formation of the United Nations immediately after World War II, we, the citizens of this world had signed up to protect this world from another war. In the 21st century, when the world is getting connected more and more, we seem to be forgetting the dreadful experiences of the past and indulging in escalating conflicts to a point of self-destruction. That too, they are happening at a time, when we have major battles to fight to protect life on this earth and restore its ecosystem. Where are we headed?

Every escalated conflict today, has a history. While Russia and Ukraine had disputes over Crimea, Palestine and Israel have been in territorial and religious conflict for decades. If we cannot avoid war despite the presence of the UN and various treaties or agreements that have been signed by most countries of the world, should we not question the fundamental intent that led to their construct? Has the UN lost its relevance and hence influence in a changing world where the global south is becoming more and more relevant? As a generation conscious of our well-being shouldn’t we question this??