Arrogant superpowers invade, illegally and immorally. Nothing new. Business as usual. Age-old story. Today Autocrats justify wars in breach of international law. Why? They can do so because they are militarily ultra-powerful and technologically advanced to get away with it. It’s the same old hopeless story.
Wealthier and most militarily powerful nations will bloodily attack sovereign countries much less militarily equipped. Throughout history (of toxic masculinity, mainly), this has been the model for some dominant people who justify inhumane and violent policies to kill people and destroy their countries.
Is the year 2022 any different from what happened in Vietnam in 1965? Afghanistan in 1979 and then again in 2001, following the horrific 9/11 attacks? In the year 2003, how did Iraq fare? And now, unprovoked, criminal invasion of Ukraine. If the world’s biggest military spender, America - which is in collusion with its staunch NATO partner the United Kingdom - can be cheeky enough to "shock and awe" and threaten countries with a vicious warning such as "you are either with us or against us" and “axis of evil,” then could oligarchic Russia be far behind with its imperialistic tendencies? Apparently, not.
The world is painfully aware of America’s aggressive posturing towards anyone who does not work in their best interests. In times of international crisis, all nations have two tight-fisted options: either take America’s side or incur its full-on wrath. “Regime change” is their favourite hobby horse to ride on. What both the US and the UK did in Iraq (and elsewhere) in the name of pursuing after the phoney WMDs - Weapons of Mass Destruction (read oil) and the Global War On Terror (GWOT) (again, read oil) is enough to spur Russia into its own bloody savagery? Cold War or not, as far as waging wars, both United States and Russia are unrivalled aggressors with limitless power, regardless of the cost, human or otherwise. Since Vietnam, America has been at the forefront of it all. They both regularly put Kafka and Orwell to shame.
It is hardly surprising that since 2001, post-9/11, the US has expended $6.4 trillion on waging warfare halfway around the globe in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Pakistan. And joined by allies and partners, the UK government has squandered £20.3 billion of its taxpayer money on the "cost of fighting and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan." Look at what they did in those war-torn and impoverished countries in the name of “regime change,” “oil,” “the war on terror,” and what have you. Talk about these so-called superpowers having a clear conscience when the US troops fled Afghanistan with their tails firmly tucked between their tottering legs! ‘Reconstructing Afghanistan’ be damned! So, has the war on terrorism been won yet? It is still going on. Unfortunately, it will go on as long as humanity is alive.
Is there any country that dares to impose tough economic penalties on the United States and the United Kingdom for their "endless wars" in the Middle Eastern countries? The answer is a dead giveaway. (One hopes that one is not making rash statements here, but you get the essence of what one is attempting to say).
Nonetheless, America is more frightening to the rest of the globe than Russia. At the moment, though, the morally repugnant Russia is one up on American military predominance! The old Empire strikes back.
Russia's multi-pronged onslaught is wreaking havoc on Ukraine. It wants to reclaim Ukraine, just as Crimea was, historically theirs. Russia wants it back, by hook or by crook. Or at least that is how the ugly invasion stories go, told in the tongues of crocodiles and alligators of one of the superpower nation-states of the world. It’s all about imperialism, control, and power; throw in the word ‘resources,’ and you’ve got a fantasy list of geopolitical vengeance in which Russia intends to reclaim its dominion. Just possibly, Russian supremacists may also have to pay a heavy price invading first Crimea and now Ukraine. Who knows, it could face doom in the quagmire of horrible wars it created in an otherwise peaceful and prosperous continent like Europe. It’s high time Russia learned its lesson. (In the meantime, let me question again: Does any nation have the audacity to impose sanctions on the USA and the UK? The answer is a dead giveaway).
History repeats itself
Taiwan, Crimea, South Korea, Syria, Aleppo, Idlib, Gaza, Somalia, Chechnya, Rwanda, Lebanon, Czechoslovakia, Grozny, East Pakistan (in the 1970s - today, thankfully, independent and proud Bangladesh) are just a few examples of many similar devastating annexations that have had disastrous consequences. For countries that bully smaller ones into submission, the possibilities for invasion are limitless.
It is now China's turn to conquer Taiwan!!! Let us see if its totalitarian leader, a lifetime president at that, can resist the temptation, especially now that its new friend Russia's invasion capabilities have emboldened China. Its cunning statecraft is all about open, world domination, and through savage rhetoric and lobbying - while also excelling at psychological warfare - it aspires to become the most powerful economic force by 2050. Poor China!
History will repeat itself. For instance, when Soviet Russia (USSR) invaded Afghanistan, its economy collapsed, and the communist nation disintegrated. With hegemonic China now looking to conquer Taiwan, who knows, history might not be kind to it: just it had not been so to the former USSR. Whatever, China’s global domination is not preferable to anyone. The world continues to be a dangerous place to live. No nation-state is going to be safe. No one.
When a powerful nation seeks to destroy another country, it can and will always succeed.
No matter what, we stand with Ukraine in its existential struggle for the country they love. God bless the people of Ukraine.
[An afterthought: Nothing makes sense anymore. Perhaps, love and compassion aren’t virtues we want to uphold any longer. Human life is a waste. Humanity is dead. We should become extinct as a species as quickly as possible.]
By Arindam Moulick
Hi, thanks for stopping by. Arindam here, and I'm from the sunny South. In my time away from work, I like reading, writing, traveling, taking long walks in the countryside, or picking up seashells and pebbles from the beach. I seek out the great company of friends and yearn for enough free time to trek in the mountains or stroll on the beach. Good food, books, engaging conversations, strong tea, and great music enthrall me.
Monday, March 7, 2022
Tuesday, March 1, 2022
These Traumatic Times
Are we all still feeling ‘locked up’ after two years of being ‘socially isolated,’ each with our own set of stories to tell? With the global pandemic superbug still sneaking around, life has become more or less like that - as though held for ransom for an indefinite time, with suddenly nothing to look out for.
But all that was of last two years since January 2020 when the novel coronavirus outbreak spread like wildfire from China, engulfing the whole planet in a lethal infection and destroying all that we call normal. Today in February 2022, it appears that life is reverting to a... ‘new normal’ now. But has it really? However, from an economic standpoint, the damage has been done. The massive contagion of the deadly COVID-19 virus has fundamentally shattered the interconnected world as we know it, upending human life across the planet and dismantling normalcy.
In these traumatic times when TV news stations have regularly been playing reports on small screens across India stating that the government will do all possible to prevent this infection from spreading, what has come forth is much too little, far too late.
First, the government has waited much too long to assess and analyse the clear and present danger that the multitudes it rules face. Second, with the spread of misinformation and recently introduced policies being too sluggish to take the desired effect, people demand that the government take greater responsibility for their proper implementation. The government should stop acting in ways that are politically advantageous to them. We all deserve better. The show must go on, with everyone on board. Period.
Little wonder the future of globalization (the kind that the corporate leaders and global organizations champion) appears bleak. In the short run, it does. It is back to requiring serious course corrections if it has to go on. It’s not that globalization is the culprit for the woes we suffer today. But as we move towards a world of increasing integration, we are also becoming more aware of its downsides.
Maybe we need to rethink the approach to our globalized society to preserve its benefits while warding off new challenges.
Globalization may be responsible for the destruction of our natural environment - air pollution, acidification, and deforestation are just a few to mention. It may also be responsible for the incredible increase in income inequality and poverty, leading to violence and instability. What's going to happen if we keep going down this road? At the same time, as humanity at large keeps confronting creepy new political and social realities of the day in the aftermath of this ongoing financially ruinous pandemic, which is far from over yet, the global economy or the global order will hardly be peaceful or smooth sailing.
One still hopes to make the world a better place to live in: I don’t know about being prosperous in a conventional sense of the term or not, but being self-sufficient, yes. (Prosperous and Self-sufficient are not the two sides of the same coin, they aren’t).
I am no disgruntled economist who is discontent with western modernity and unfairly prognosticating on trade and commerce issues of the globalized world. Perhaps, that’s beyond my pay grade. Neither am I speechifying through this, shall I say Thought Post full of my quasi-socialist fulminations? But in an increasingly polarized world where jobs are being lost thanks to technological disruptions, hardly do that look to be a viable option. Indeed, even as we cautiously begin to navigate the uncharted waters ahead, I suspect it will be business as usual from here on out. Who knows, life with COVID-19 pulmonary scars may only get worse in a post-pandemic world. Life is hard, and most of us are finding ourselves at unexpected crossroads, and there are no signs.
Who doesn’t like to breathe easy? Yet, the potential threat of some virus or the other damaging the liver, lungs, heart, brain, and kidneys will always loom large over people and communities across the globe. Come to think of it: the coming age will impose a heavy toll on people’s lives and well-being in the form of anguish, stress, fear, anxiety, and worry. Beware, human life is doomed to be a never-ending misery for the foreseeable future. Politically and economically, we are in worse shape than we have ever been.
Against such a backdrop, my favourite stories have frequently become barnstorming satirical, laced with subtle slights, humour, drolly irony, or amusing incongruity. Every month or so, I roll them all up in my stories in an attempt to be funny or have a little fun in the process. Today, common people like you and I take refuge in our hand-held devices (thanks to unlimited data pack!) in an attempt to find instant gratification, which in this perspective seems acceptable. So carry on.
What's more, being the old softie that I am in a smug hard-knuckle world of digital utopia, I prefer peace to panic, patience to quick fulfilment (or “instant gratification”), whereas others (it appears to me) seem keener on worshipping the digital deities of the glittering virtual world - so addicted so as not to venture outside at all. While online awareness is vital, I understand that. But I also wonder what, realistically, could we do differently with people's addictive always-online behaviour so that we can put their attitude into reconciliation with a fear of... solitude?
In some ways, I enjoy living my life as I please, but from a completely different perspective, as I'd like to believe. What can I do when my old-fashioned sense of pragmatism doesn't always sync with the realities of the traumatic times we are living? When I say something like that, I realise I sound holier than thou, but facts are realities, and we all eventually figure out how to live with them, don't we?
But all that was of last two years since January 2020 when the novel coronavirus outbreak spread like wildfire from China, engulfing the whole planet in a lethal infection and destroying all that we call normal. Today in February 2022, it appears that life is reverting to a... ‘new normal’ now. But has it really? However, from an economic standpoint, the damage has been done. The massive contagion of the deadly COVID-19 virus has fundamentally shattered the interconnected world as we know it, upending human life across the planet and dismantling normalcy.
In these traumatic times when TV news stations have regularly been playing reports on small screens across India stating that the government will do all possible to prevent this infection from spreading, what has come forth is much too little, far too late.
First, the government has waited much too long to assess and analyse the clear and present danger that the multitudes it rules face. Second, with the spread of misinformation and recently introduced policies being too sluggish to take the desired effect, people demand that the government take greater responsibility for their proper implementation. The government should stop acting in ways that are politically advantageous to them. We all deserve better. The show must go on, with everyone on board. Period.
[Future waves of Covid-19 infection should be the most pressing public health priority for all elected governments the world over. We may be sick of hearing about COVID, but let’s not pretend or fool ourselves into thinking that the dangers have passed. Normalcy remains a long way off. Meanwhile, don’t ditch the face mask; they are increasingly available in pharmacies, supermarkets, and online. Let's make sure we're adequately protected.]It’s a hard-knuckle world out there.
Little wonder the future of globalization (the kind that the corporate leaders and global organizations champion) appears bleak. In the short run, it does. It is back to requiring serious course corrections if it has to go on. It’s not that globalization is the culprit for the woes we suffer today. But as we move towards a world of increasing integration, we are also becoming more aware of its downsides.
Maybe we need to rethink the approach to our globalized society to preserve its benefits while warding off new challenges.
Globalization may be responsible for the destruction of our natural environment - air pollution, acidification, and deforestation are just a few to mention. It may also be responsible for the incredible increase in income inequality and poverty, leading to violence and instability. What's going to happen if we keep going down this road? At the same time, as humanity at large keeps confronting creepy new political and social realities of the day in the aftermath of this ongoing financially ruinous pandemic, which is far from over yet, the global economy or the global order will hardly be peaceful or smooth sailing.
One still hopes to make the world a better place to live in: I don’t know about being prosperous in a conventional sense of the term or not, but being self-sufficient, yes. (Prosperous and Self-sufficient are not the two sides of the same coin, they aren’t).
I am no disgruntled economist who is discontent with western modernity and unfairly prognosticating on trade and commerce issues of the globalized world. Perhaps, that’s beyond my pay grade. Neither am I speechifying through this, shall I say Thought Post full of my quasi-socialist fulminations? But in an increasingly polarized world where jobs are being lost thanks to technological disruptions, hardly do that look to be a viable option. Indeed, even as we cautiously begin to navigate the uncharted waters ahead, I suspect it will be business as usual from here on out. Who knows, life with COVID-19 pulmonary scars may only get worse in a post-pandemic world. Life is hard, and most of us are finding ourselves at unexpected crossroads, and there are no signs.
Who doesn’t like to breathe easy? Yet, the potential threat of some virus or the other damaging the liver, lungs, heart, brain, and kidneys will always loom large over people and communities across the globe. Come to think of it: the coming age will impose a heavy toll on people’s lives and well-being in the form of anguish, stress, fear, anxiety, and worry. Beware, human life is doomed to be a never-ending misery for the foreseeable future. Politically and economically, we are in worse shape than we have ever been.
Against such a backdrop, my favourite stories have frequently become barnstorming satirical, laced with subtle slights, humour, drolly irony, or amusing incongruity. Every month or so, I roll them all up in my stories in an attempt to be funny or have a little fun in the process. Today, common people like you and I take refuge in our hand-held devices (thanks to unlimited data pack!) in an attempt to find instant gratification, which in this perspective seems acceptable. So carry on.
What's more, being the old softie that I am in a smug hard-knuckle world of digital utopia, I prefer peace to panic, patience to quick fulfilment (or “instant gratification”), whereas others (it appears to me) seem keener on worshipping the digital deities of the glittering virtual world - so addicted so as not to venture outside at all. While online awareness is vital, I understand that. But I also wonder what, realistically, could we do differently with people's addictive always-online behaviour so that we can put their attitude into reconciliation with a fear of... solitude?
In some ways, I enjoy living my life as I please, but from a completely different perspective, as I'd like to believe. What can I do when my old-fashioned sense of pragmatism doesn't always sync with the realities of the traumatic times we are living? When I say something like that, I realise I sound holier than thou, but facts are realities, and we all eventually figure out how to live with them, don't we?
[To be continued...]
By Arindam Moulick
End of Part I of III
Written October ‘21 to February 2022.
End of Part I of III
Written October ‘21 to February 2022.
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