A glimpse of peace and conflict in the world

The conflict between North Korea and the USA over the former’s nuclear programme has gone beyond limit and given rise to serious tension

This is a very big topic of interest which always impels me to put my pen to paper despite my shallow knowledge in comparison with some eminent scholars of our country as far as political analysis is concerned in the field of international events and crisis of the present day world. However, I would like to make my humble effort based on the ideas I have gained from my study of the illustrious magazines of the world. The literary meaning of peace and conflict is not foreign to anyone and as such needs no further connotation. Notwithstanding the fact it can be said that peace refers to a situation or period of time in which there is no war or violence in a country or area. Whereas conflict refers to situation in which people or countries are in serious disagreement. In other words it also means battle or war. Peace and conflicts are two inseparable parts of life, a pendulum between tears and laughter.

Here I can refer to a critic who said ‘‘I want a piece of bread to live in peace not a Taj on my grave’’. So the ultimate aim of every civilized country is to maintain peace and harmony for its people. As long as a country has democratic norms and traditions, good governance, rule of law and justice, its citizens can enjoy security, leisure and freethinking. Good neighborliness, friendly and diplomatic relation, trade and commerce, exchange of culture, science and technological know-how can serve as potential factors for unity and peace among nations of the world.

A glimpse from the remote past to the present especially, right from the two great wars will reflect before us a gloomy picture of world peace and conflict. Bertrand Russel, a famous British philosopher in his book ‘‘Has Man a Future?’’ clearly mentioned that the world had experienced two devastating wars and in view of these circumstances he was doubtful whether man has any future. According to him the trouble lies in the minds of men. It seems that with the advancement of science and technology the world is heading towards destruction. The English poet, WB Yeats has aptly said ‘‘Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold/ Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world/ The blood dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere/ The ceremony of innocence is drowned’’. In such a situation how can we think of peace in the supersonic age of mechanical civilization where man has become isolated from nature because of the predominance of science and technology? Thomas à Kempis said ‘‘All men desire peace but very few those things that make for peace’’. The religions of the world vouches for peaceful co-existence of human being but man violates peace even though he is the best creation of God. So in the Holy Quran Allah said ‘‘When they are told not to create disquiet in the world, they say we are maintaining peace. Be careful, they are the creators of disquiet but they do not know’’. (1:10)

Now let me focus on conflict that disturbs peace and tranquility of the world. The most important causes of conflict are as follows: a) Power rivalry among big nations of the world. b) Attempt to establish political hegemony over small states. c) Imperialistic desire of the big countries. d) Torture, cleansing and displacing of the ethnic minority from their homeland. e) The double standard policy of the big powers. f) The questionable role of the Security Council with its exclusive right to veto against any decision. g) Inordinate desire to grab the oil resources by the powerful states. This is behind the present crisis in Libya. h) Military coup and foreign aggression. When the government of a country is week in handling internal conflict, it has inevitable chance of military takeover. Similarly, a failed state always faces foreign aggression and pre-emptive strike in the guise of friendship by any super power.

The statement of a few international scenarios will make the point clear to the esteemed readers. The starting point of conflict between Arabs and the Israelis was the establishment of the state of Israel in the Middle East by the Balfour declaration in 1953. As a backdrop of this event the Arab-Israeli war took place in 1967. The Arabs lost much of their territories after their defeat in the hands of Israel which occupied their lands and still creating further conflicts and threatens peace in the region. By the by it is noted that many years later the long-cherished Arab Spring which began in Tunisia and Egypt brought more suffering and conflicts for the Arab World than peace in the long run.

The conflict in the Middle East was further deteriorated with the US invasion of Iraq on the pretext of Saddam Hossain having weapons of mass destruction. As a follow-up of this crisis then began the destructive civil war in Syria leading to the mass exodus of refugees in Turkey and Europe. The war in Yemen which started in 2015 is another fratricidal war between the Iranian backed Houthis and the Saudi led coalition saw no signs of ending.

The Ukrainian conflict can hardly escape our eyes. The Readers Digest in its March 2015 issue has given a tragic picture of the conflict in Ukraine which originated from the beginning of its attempt to become a member of European Union. This deadly conflict put the Pro-Russian (17%) and the Pro-Ukrainian (78%) against each other. At least 3000 people have been killed since the start of the conflict and more than a million ordinary Ukrainians have been displaced, great number of them are refugees in their own country.

The conflict between North Korea and the USA over the former’s nuclear programme has gone beyond limit and given rise to serious tension between them. We are afraid least it should create another nuclear war in the Korean Peninsula.

At this moment Myanmar, a rouge state has become a threat to world peace because it has been committing a heinous crime against humanity by cleansing and displacing the ethnic minority Muslims to Bangladesh. I think President Donald Trump who has threatened to destroy North Korea should start air raids and bombing Myanmar as America did in Serbia for the genocide in Kosovo and Bosnia. This will on the one hand, mount pressure on Myanmar to repatriate its refugees from Bangladesh, on the other, impact North Korea to give up its nuclear ambition.

The United Nations Security Council, can play positive role in resolving conflict by taking a decision on the basis of simple or two third majority votes abolishing its veto power for the interest of justice towards the afflicted humanity failing which all attempts will simply be a mockery of peace.

The supply of arms and ammunition to the warring countries which they get from their colonial masters and protective uncles should be stopped. There is an African proverb that when two elephants fight only the grass suffers. If we look at the war ravaged countries like Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yamen, the untold suffering of the people and the destruction of their cities, civilization and cultural heritage will appear before us in the twinkling of an eye. Everybody knows that war is an act of barbarians and an impediment to peace. Can any civilized person justify the dropping of atom bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the unlawful war at Vietnam?

The modern man is fed up with war and wants peace though it is a difficult and challenging task. In our present age we are frighten at the rise of different militant and terrorist groups. But the most dangerous of them is the IS which has its network throughout the world. They radicalize youngsters with their sinister motive to destabilize government and destroy human peace and happiness.

Nowadays the world has taken a united stand to counter terrorist activities. The militants have no religion and they are the enemies of mankind. They must be brought to justice for the sake of peace. But the world conscience is greatly shocked at the UNSC’s failure to prevent the current man-made disaster for which we do not find all quiet on the eastern front. Yet our PM deserves special congratulation for her sincere, relentless endeavor for world peace and humanitarian service.  

In the end, I would like to say again that peace is the positive aspect of life that cannot be achieved through conflict which may escalate the crisis. Conflict can be resolved by peaceful means just as violence is cured by non-violence. We should avoid conflict between individuals, nations and countries and work with a global sprit without fostering ultra-nationalism.

The best way to resolve crisis is mutual understanding and peaceful negotiation through bilateral and multi-lateral means. We must nationally or internationally bid farewell to arms or refrain from armed conflicts for the development of peace. It is a universal truth that peace has its victory not less renowned than war. So the Upanishad ends with ‘‘Shantih shantih shantih’’

The writer is a Professor of English and Vice-Chancellor (In-charge) Britannia University Comilla

 

A glimpse of peace and conflict in the world

The conflict between North Korea and the USA over the formers nuclear programme has gone beyond limit and given rise to serious tension

This is a very big topic of interest which always impels me to put my pen to paper despite my shallow knowledge in comparison with some eminent scholars of our country as far as political analysis is concerned in the field of international events and crisis of the present day world. However, I would like to make my humble effort based on the ideas I have gained from my study of the illustrious magazines of the world. The literary meaning of peace and conflict is not foreign to anyone and as such needs no further connotation. Notwithstanding the fact it can be said that peace refers to a situation or period of time in which there is no war or violence in a country or area. Whereas conflict refers to situation in which people or countries are in serious disagreement. In other words it also means battle or war. Peace and conflicts are two inseparable parts of life, a pendulum between tears and laughter. Here I can refer to a critic who said I want a piece of bread to live in peace not a Taj on my grave. So the ultimate aim of every civilized country is to maintain peace and harmony for its people. As long as a country has democratic norms and traditions, good governance, rule of law and justice, its citizens can enjoy security, leisure and freethinking. Good neighborliness, friendly and diplomatic relation, trade and commerce, exchange of culture, science and technological know-how can serve as potential factors for unity and peace among nations of the world. A glimpse from the remote past to the present especially, right from the two great wars will reflect before us a gloomy picture of world peace and conflict. Bertrand Russel, a famous British philosopher in his book Has Man a Future? clearly mentioned that the world had experienced two devastating wars and in view of these circumstances he was doubtful whether man has any future. According to him the trouble lies in the minds of men. It seems that with the advancement of science and technology the world is heading towards destruction. The English poet, WB Yeats has aptly said Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold/ Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world/ The blood dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere/ The ceremony of innocence is drowned. In such a situation how can we think of peace in the supersonic age of mechanical civilization where man has become isolated from nature because of the predominance of science and technology? Thomas Kempis said All men desire peace but very few those things that make for peace. The religions of the world vouches for peaceful co-existence of human being but man violates peace even though he is the best creation of God. So in the Holy Quran Allah said When they are told not to create disquiet in the world, they say we are maintaining peace. Be careful, they are the creators of disquiet but they do not know. (1:10) Now let me focus on conflict that disturbs peace and tranquility of the world. The most important causes of conflict are as follows: a) Power rivalry among big nations of the world. b) Attempt to establish political hegemony over small states. c) Imperialistic desire of the big countries. d) Torture, cleansing and displacing of the ethnic minority from their homeland. e) The double standard policy of the big powers. f) The questionable role of the Security Council with its exclusive right to veto against any decision. g) Inordinate desire to grab the oil resources by the powerful states. This is behind the present crisis in Libya. h) Military coup and foreign aggression. When the government of a country is week in handling internal conflict, it has inevitable chance of military takeover. Similarly, a failed state always faces foreign aggression and pre-emptive strike in the guise of friendship by any super power. The statement of a few international scenarios will make the point clear to the esteemed readers. The starting point of conflict between Arabs and the Israelis was the establishment of the state of Israel in the Middle East by the Balfour declaration in 1953. As a backdrop of this event the Arab-Israeli war took place in 1967. The Arabs lost much of their territories after their defeat in the hands of Israel which occupied their lands and still creating further conflicts and threatens peace in the region. By the by it is noted that many years later the long-cherished Arab Spring which began in Tunisia and Egypt brought more suffering and conflicts for the Arab World than peace in the long run. The conflict in the Middle East was further deteriorated with the US invasion of Iraq on the pretext of Saddam Hossain having weapons of mass destruction. As a follow-up of this crisis then began the destructive civil war in Syria leading to the mass exodus of refugees in Turkey and Europe. The war in Yemen which started in 2015 is another fratricidal war between the Iranian backed Houthis and the Saudi led coalition saw no signs of ending. The Ukrainian conflict can hardly escape our eyes. The Readers Digest in its March 2015 issue has given a tragic picture of the conflict in Ukraine which originated from the beginning of its attempt to become a member of European Union. This deadly conflict put the Pro-Russian (17%) and the Pro-Ukrainian (78%) against each other. At least 3000 people have been killed since the start of the conflict and more than a million ordinary Ukrainians have been displaced, great number of them are refugees in their own country. The conflict between North Korea and the USA over the formers nuclear programme has gone beyond limit and given rise to serious tension between them. We are afraid least it should create another nuclear war in the Korean Peninsula. At this moment Myanmar, a rouge state has become a threat to world peace because it has been committing a heinous crime against humanity by cleansing and displacing the ethnic minority Muslims to Bangladesh. I think President Donald Trump who has threatened to destroy North Korea should start air raids and bombing Myanmar as America did in Serbia for the genocide in Kosovo and Bosnia. This will on the one hand, mount pressure on Myanmar to repatriate its refugees from Bangladesh, on the other, impact North Korea to give up its nuclear ambition. The United Nations Security Council, can play positive role in resolving conflict by taking a decision on the basis of simple or two third majority votes abolishing its veto power for the interest of justice towards the afflicted humanity failing which all attempts will simply be a mockery of peace. The supply of arms and ammunition to the warring countries which they get from their colonial masters and protective uncles should be stopped. There is an African proverb that when two elephants fight only the grass suffers. If we look at the war ravaged countries like Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yamen, the untold suffering of the people and the destruction of their cities, civilization and cultural heritage will appear before us in the twinkling of an eye. Everybody knows that war is an act of barbarians and an impediment to peace. Can any civilized person justify the dropping of atom bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the unlawful war at Vietnam? The modern man is fed up with war and wants peace though it is a difficult and challenging task. In our present age we are frighten at the rise of different militant and terrorist groups. But the most dangerous of them is the IS which has its network throughout the world. They radicalize youngsters with their sinister motive to destabilize government and destroy human peace and happiness. Nowadays the world has taken a united stand to counter terrorist activities. The militants have no religion and they are the enemies of mankind. They must be brought to justice for the sake of peace. But the world conscience is greatly shocked at the UNSCs failure to prevent the current man-made disaster for which we do not find all quiet on the eastern front. Yet our PM deserves special congratulation for her sincere, relentless endeavor for world peace and humanitarian service. In the end, I would like to say again that peace is the positive aspect of life that cannot be achieved through conflict which may escalate the crisis. Conflict can be resolved by peaceful means just as violence is cured by non-violence. We should avoid conflict between individuals, nations and countries and work with a global sprit without fostering ultra-nationalism. The best way to resolve crisis is mutual understanding and peaceful negotiation through bilateral and multi-lateral means. We must nationally or internationally bid farewell to arms or refrain from armed conflicts for the development of peace. It is a universal truth that peace has its victory not less renowned than war. So the Upanishad ends with Shantih shantih shantih The writer is a Professor of English and Vice-Chancellor (In-charge) Britannia University Comilla