How a man would feel satisfied
and happy depends upon his personal tastes and attitudes but peaces in the
family, social or national or global context is clear and well defined. It
means that these spheres should be free from unbridled competitions, discrimination's and injustices, conflicts, disputes, battles, or war and other
things that are harmful to the well-being of all. Man’s longing for peace is
eternal. And a peaceful state of things is a key to his happiness, progress and
prosperity. It has brought in glories in Literature, Arts and Architecture,
different branches of knowledge social and economic development. Modern Culture
and Civilization are blessings of peace. Glorious achievements of the Augustan
Age or the Abbasiade Rule at
Human aspirations for his well
being, happiness and prosperity are in his nature. Material resources are among
the main ingredients required for their materialization. But there is a dearth
of them. Hence individuals strive and vie; nations make great efforts and
compete for them. So develops competitions, conflicts and in the long run
skirmishes and wars. Moreover, on the one hand resourceful countries do not
want to share their resources with others, on the other hand, they want to be
richer and more powerful. Thus, there starts exploitation and squeezing of the
weak and poor countries, aggressive disposition as well as warfare for
capturing markets of less developed countries. Peoples of the latter have to
buy goods at high prices; their local products are discouraged, leaving them
poorer and the exporting ones richer.
As by the blessings of science
and technology the world has become smaller, peoples as it were are living in a
small village and countries have become much more interdependent. Wherever in
the globe there is tension or conflict or unrest or battle it is bound to
vibrate beyond the borders of a country. The prevalence of peace countrywide
has become ineffective and global peace, an issue of exclusive importance. And
the UNO was brought into existence for the fruition of mankind’s aspirations
and attainment of the fruits of peace. Its Security Council is especially
entrusted with the sacred task of preservation of peace, and prevention and
resolution of armed conflicts. In addition to those the world body has to deal
with many other matters. To mention a few, it has to attend problems and
obstacles to peace as they affect all nations, and individual countries are
helpless to solve or eliminate them.
Global action in many areas is
necessary to pave the way for peace. Food shortage is alarmingly persistent in
many countries. Countries such as Ethiopia ,
Sudan and other
Sub Saharan areas have drought or no rainfall or little irrigation facilities
causing the outbreak of famine and untold sufferings to peoples. Concerted
action is needed, as access to food is a basic human right. Abject poverty and
hunger are other destabilizing forces giving rise to grievances and unrest in
many parts of the world. Almost half of 2.8 billion people live on less than $2
a day. And 44% of the poor live in South Asia alone. In East
Asia the number of poor population living on less than $1 a day
has been decreased but in South Asia and Latin
America the number of poor population has been rising. (UNFPA’S State
Of World Population Report ,
2000). As the victims have little money or are jobless, trafficking in women
and drugs have flourished alarmingly and are insurmountable obstacles to world
peace, human honor and dignity. The NATO in one of its surveys in 1993 treated
drug trafficking “as one of the negative inputs for global peace”. It is now
encouraging to note that global concern is now centered on poverty alleviation.
The Rio Conference of 1992 urged upon all states and people to co-operate to
eradicate poverty as essential for sustainable development. Many international
agencies and donor countries are increasing or opening up micro credit funds to
assist the poorest. The first Micro Credit Summit held in 1998 fledged to
provide for a hundred million world’s poorest families. Financial assistance or
investment in the poor countries for creating job opportunities is also
attended to, yet much remain to be done to see tangible mitigation or
eradication of poverty. Environmental pollution and global warming are still
other threats to human existence. They are man made and products chiefly of
industrially developed countries. Yet some of them such as USA
is not willing to slow down warming by cutting its carbon emission in 2010,
although she agreed to do so in the Convention on Climate Change held at Kyoto
in 1997.
The armed conflict in different
parts of the world is much greater danger than the ones discussed. Let us
examine a few dangerous spots: Palestine ,
Kashmir and Chechnya .
The creation of the Jewish state in the middle of 20th century by
the West, Britain
in particular, unleashed manifold problems and hostilities in the Middle
East . The West’s support for it was blind. They assisted it
economically and militarily and made it an aggressive and expansionist state in
the region. The occupation in 1967 by Israel of Arab Lands exposed its evil
design. It forced millions of Arabs to taking shelter in neighboring states as
refugees. Despite the UNO resolutions to give back Arab territories, Israel
continued its occupation. By the Camp David Treaty Israel
returned Egyptian Land Golan Heights , Gaza
Strip. West Bank , etc. America
supported by the West took initiative in the late 1990’s to solve the problem.
An agreement was reached to return most of the land to Palestine
on the land for peace principle mainly, till the final determination of the
Palestine Statehood was agreed upon along with settlement of the most crucial
crucial questions of Jerusalem and
the refugees. Israel
dawdled to hand over the specific land proceed with other matters in harmony
with the time schedule of the agreement. Demonstrations broke out. More than
400 people, mostly Palestinians were killed by Israel
armed forces and its air raids. Yet no condemnation of Israel ’s
brutality and excesses. Palestinians leadership urged for the UNO
investigation. Israel
was violently against it and the West Kept mum. Then Palestine ’s
insistence for deploying of UNO observers for protection was vehemently opposed
and ultimately vetoed by USA
in the UNO. What a double standard for America .
Is it in tune with her professed role of a protector and promoter, globe wide,
of democracy, self determination of people under subjection and rule of law,
etc? Here is the grossest infringement of the principles of honor and justice.
What a triumph of narrow and mean interest over conscience and sacred
obligation to humanity!
There was a shift in American
stance towards Israel
and Palestinians. When Barack Obama became the 44th president of the
USA . His
criticism of saying one thing and doing anotherspeaks volumes for his
sincerity, honesty and deep concern. For many years he is the only American to
ask Israel in
strong words to freeze settlements because it goes against the peace process.
It is also new that Obama administration asked Israel
to clarify the recent 2010 West Bank raid by it killing
three members of Fatah Movement and Israel
had to explain. It is worth noticing that there were fewer incidents of rocket
firings by Hamas and Israelis. In spite of all this peace process according to
the Roadmap is stalled and a blockade of Gaza
strip continues in a less severe form. All this is due alone to Israel ’s
arrogantly impervious attitude though dented.
Relation between the USA and Israel
(March, 2010) was severely strained and precipated the worst crises in years as
Israel announced the approval of 1600 new settlements on the day the American
vice-president was in the region to initiate indirect talks between the
Palestinians and Israel. Hillary Clinton in an unusually harsh language termed
it as insulting. America ,
USSR , EU and UN
Secretary General condemning it urged Israel
to halt settlement. The quartet also expressed their deep concern about the
situation in Gaza strip including
humanitarian and human rights situation. This is a startling and unprecedented
development that strengthened very strongly the stance of the USA
since Barack Obama become president of America .
America must
seize upon the opportunity never within its reach before. Of course, Israel ’s
Prime Ministers meeting with the American President bore no fruits, Barack
Obama did not move an inch from his position. There was no press conference or
communiqué as is usual in such meetings.
It seems Barack Obama saw how bad
Israel could be
which the incident had clearly demonstrated. We think he realizes now better
the reality that is the Middle East, the Muslim world and right minded peoples
of the globe look upon the Palestinian militants and suicide bombers as freedom
fighters fighting to end Jewish occupation and state terrorism and understand
why are so. The first two paras of my article why is the war on Terrorism and
its effects”, pub : 11.3.2005 gives more of the reasons. To state briefly they
do so when their just gust cause is most unjustly denied, when they have no
other means to get their legitimate grievances redressed we are sure Obama has
recognized that nothing has blackened America’s name in modern times than its
too obvious, blind partisan support any country has shown to Israel both inside
and outside of the UNO. Barack Obama ought now to acknowledge that Israel
has become the Frankenstein created by the USA
led West that needs urgently to be controlled or destroyed before damages
irreparably or ruins its creator.
He has already understood that
the settlement of the Palestinian problem is required for America
interest and security. We demand him of his promise to use the prestigious
Nobel award “to reach the world to be” and the citation of Nobel panel that
states unmistakably the reasons for the award. They, we are very hopeful, will
boost and sustain his all-out efforts like those he has exemplified in getting
through (March, 2010) the historic Health Care Reform Package in the Congress
on the top of it his high sense of humanity, unity and solidarity of mankind
and Justice will goad him to try every possible means to settle the Palestinian
problem during his presidency. Both humanity and justice have been is a worse
crisis since 1967, the year of Jewish seizure of Palestinian’s lands. The
writer is cocksure, if Obama does not do it, none will or can.
Without having the attitude
outlook and the unbending stance of the quarlet the western countries
specifically the USA
cannot solve problems in Chechnya
and Kashmir . The whole of Chechnya
population has been supporting the guerilas fighting for self determination. Russia
bombarded Chechnya
heavily and caused wide spread destruction. It committed barbarous massacre
there and because he sought to tell the truth about the brutal war in Chechnya ,
Andrei Babitakiey, a Radio free Europe reporter was
killed. The right of all peoples to self determination and the right of honest
reporting are universally recognized and accepted principles of the UNO. Yet
the world body could do nothing, as she is a large or strong and permanent
member of Security Council. Kashmir people with their
diverse guerillas in front are fighting since the mid twentieth century despite
UNO resolutions for allowing them to decide whether they should be independent
or are to continue to part of another state. There were two wars between India
and Pakistan
(now nuclear powers) over the question of Kashmir .
Guerilla warfare with the full backing the Kashmiris is still raging. Many
Kashmiris are killed. They are undergoing Indian repression’s and untold
sufferings. Yet, India
the largest democracy in the world is not willing, at all, to implement its
pledge to the global body. And the latter is helpless as Russia
unscrupulously supports Indian stand.
We have seen that the great powers are, a great deal,
responsible for the continuance of dangers to peace. And they can not also
absolve themselves of their central part in the greatest threat that lurks in
the shadows, owing to their existence of big arsenals and arms race among
nations. In spite of the CTBT or disarmament conferences or treaties or some
reduction of armaments, the arsenals of nations especially of the great powers
are yet so replete with dreadful weapons as to cause horrible havoc in the world,
nay one suspects, can destroy the whole world. But what is most distressing is
that the largest and strongest states are the suppliers of defense equipments
and thus become the preservers of armed conflicts or wars on the earth. This
predicament to humanity is fraught with potentialities of terrible consequences
and necessitates, as never before, the prevalence of peaceful conditions.
Unless the veto power of the five permanent members of the Security Council as
well as their permanent status is done away with, the world will for peace will
be negated by the veto of a single country and global peace will remain forever
a mirage or a chimera.
