Monaem Sarker :
Manifold problems endanger our world and stabilities of our societies. Terrorism especially in the name of Islam, fundamentalism, drug etc. and new form of imperialist countries created crises around the globe. Moreover. a new form of trade war between the USA and China specially and their Trading Partners have created number of downside risk for the Global Economy.
Past imperialist world order had changed. Twentieth century is not the replica of nineteenth century. Twenty first century is quite different. Presently science and technology has developed so much which could not be developed during last few centuries. Now satellite communication brought whole world under one umbrella. But present century is passing through lots of crises of which economic and debt crises have engulfed the overall situation of the world.
Past international and regional Forums like CENTO, SEATO, Bagdad Pact has die down long past, only NATO at the Crossroad, There is not doubt that militarily NATO is approaching this crossroad for some time. It will also face similar fate like other old forums.
In the recent past, broader views in the global scientific world have been achieved. We know that our problems have been caused by people. Therefore in principle they can be solved by people. The prerequisite however is a profound global change of value and awareness. Presently, world forum like UNO, UNESCO, WTO, OIC, World Bank, IMF etc. are facing problems for fund.
We can give up obsolete ideas and behaviors and accept new ones. Mankind has done this in different centuries. But wishes and views alone are not sufficient. They have replanted the obsolete and detrimental with more modern and better one. We should look for people all over the world who will courageously implement their visions for a more sustainable and just world order. The goal is to develop our awareness in order to reach a more harmonious world in which a long term existence of mankind in a life worthy environment is now put into question.
We should think on a global level- though we have solved many human problems and giving comfort to individuals but could not address as yet the Global Warming, Earthquake, Bushfire, Tidal bore, Tsunami, Natural calamities etc. We should take these as serious problems and attempt to act and, think in a manner that is in the long term interest of fellow human beings. Now global thinking is a question of survival. From pre-historic time societies were wracked by religious warfare and political strife, culminating in the devastation of wars after wars. We have passed two world war period.
After the Berlin wall crumbed in 1989 a proverb was born: “Everything the communist said about communism was a lie, but everything they said about Capitalism turned out to be truth.” Present cold war era will end thru a nuclear war. We have all got to die one day, some sooner and some later. If there is nuclear war it will end in a month. The United States, Russia and China will be the protagonists. It is not clear, if it will start by accident or mistake. There will be no victor.
‘This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.’
The lines from T.S. Eliat’s Poem published in 1957 at the height of the cold war.
The whole world is volatile, we don’t know- whether the Era of CRUSADE will come again or the plague of Nationalism will develop like Catalonia. There are many other restive independence moment in the world, like the Kurds in Iraq and Turkey, in Scotland, Belgium, Italy, Pakistan, India and California etc. Experts used to say the world is in the grip of ‘Carnival of bellicosity’ due to USA, China and Kim Jong-UN, But due to the defeat of Trump and emergence of Joe Biden has open a new vista for peace and economy. Russia is another Nuclar power to count, because of it’s vast Gas and Oil resource. Russia and China together can challenge America. Now good sense may prevail among world leaders like, Putin, Joe Biden and Kim Jong-UN who poses Nuclear weapons.
Now new polarization may take place due to economic and other issues. New polarization of Russia and Turkey is a new phenomenon old organization like OIC (Organization of Islamic Countries) may be redundant because of Secularism which is emmerging in Islamic countries also. But fundamentalism is still there, now Ukraine is applying for OIC membership which is intriguing.
Some regional conflict are going on for decades, such as: (a) Palestine and Israel, (b) Kashmir issue, (c) conflict in Middle-East in various form of power struggle, new fundamentalist struggle in the name of Taliban, Bokoharam, Al-Kaida, IS etc.
The way religious fundamentalism are growing even the Buddhist (‘Ong Shanti’) adventure in Burma, Jews adventure in Middle-East, Racist in Europe, Black and white problems in America may lead to a crusade but we should go to renaissance like 14, 15 and 16 century in the twenty first century. The people of the world should collectively address these issues otherwise the third world war of crusade may happen any time.
(Mr. Sarker is presently Director General, Bangladesh Foundation for Development Research)
