Is the world an uneasy place at present and will things righten themselves or are we facing the first glimpse of an abyss that is dark and deep. Nature is not treating us kindly in the form of the Ebola virus which is really as scary as the authorities say it is. It is heartening to see that its global spread has been slowed by tremendous cooperation and an entry and exit monitoring system but is that enough for a tough and canny virus that can so easily get past the human defenses. Suffice it is to say that even the herculean efforts may not be enough as aviation turns the global village into an Orwellian nightmare. Indian and Nepal fight floods on a war footing and Pakistan creates its own political cloudburst even as the two neighbors begin to rattle their sabres, following a series of border violations in the wake of Indian PM Modi’s upping of the stakes by bruising Pakistan’s military strength.
Now, add to this blight the fears of the ISIL making its presence semi concrete in Iraq and the bold words of British PM Cameron calling for a consolidated response by nations that are directly and indirectly affected and that only adds to the tension in the region. The blood in the sands of Gaza and the West Bank has not yet dried nor is there any indication of a fair and equitable solution to the "war" that was conducted. It is almost as if everyone has just sort of forgotten it ever happened. With the cease-fire suspension now ending it needs one bullet from Hamas to give the excuse to Israel to plow even deeper into the Palestinian enclaves. The result is the suffering of the innocent. Hong Kong wants a sip of freedom from the Beijing regime and Ukraine still stays smouldering much like the ruins of the 777 that was shot down, wailed over and forgotten as a crime. No one has been taken to task and the tragedy has slipped off the pages into history.
By the laws of diminishing returns the international interest in the Syrian turmoil has become like a receding tide. Today, because he has been able to withstand the attacks Assad has almost won himself the country on his own terms, the death toll becoming inconsequential.
One must ask if the will is there to find solutions, to negotiate, to end strife and violence and make mankind rid itself of these shackles.
We have common enemies. Poverty, disease, despair, unemployment, slavery and an absence of social justice. It is time for nations of good heart to come together and do battle for these are the dragons that will destroy us unless we destroy ourselves.
