Every nation that was once under a colonial yoke celebrates its day of independence with fervor and a sense of hope in that it promises a brighter future, a stronger economy, a rainbow in the sky. And every year, for most of these nations, like a pricked balloon, collapses from the next day onward, most of the promises belied by harsh reality.
That peace and prosperity we seek stays elusive. Instead, war and violence seem to have wedded themselves with great affection and today go hand in hand across the world. Are we camouflaging the truth by clamoring over brotherhood and mutual affection, cooperation and common destinies and ignoring the fires burning in our backyard.
India and Pakistan are again on the post monsoon brink of belligerence and the tension is palpable. Both nations celebrated their independence day this week and struck aggressive postures against each other. Peace talks are not even in the frame. China is building up forces in the South China Sea that is cause for great concern. In South Sudan a nation is about to teeter over the cliff of existence, as its two army factions continue to exchange gunfire.
Syria is aflame again. Aleppo is a microcosm of all that is wrong with the world as it fights terror. Over 1.5 million residents still reside in the “front-line urban enclave” so to speak.
Things are so bad that the United Nations has requested lulls in fighting so that aid and supplies and medical equipment and medicines can be shipped to affected areas.
It is a sobering thought that in 2016 the world has become more hostile than in 2015. There are now only 10 countries in the world that are seen as completely free from conflict, according to the authors of the 10th annual Global Peace Index which states:
“The conflict in the Middle East, the lack of a solution to the refugee crisis and an increase in deaths from major terrorist incidents have all contributed to the world being less peaceful in 2016 than it was in 2015.Only Botswana, Chile, Costa Rica, Japan, Mauritius, Panama, Qatar, Switzerland, Uruguay and Vietnam are free from conflict.”
That peace and prosperity we seek stays elusive. Instead, war and violence seem to have wedded themselves with great affection and today go hand in hand across the world. Are we camouflaging the truth by clamoring over brotherhood and mutual affection, cooperation and common destinies and ignoring the fires burning in our backyard.
India and Pakistan are again on the post monsoon brink of belligerence and the tension is palpable. Both nations celebrated their independence day this week and struck aggressive postures against each other. Peace talks are not even in the frame. China is building up forces in the South China Sea that is cause for great concern. In South Sudan a nation is about to teeter over the cliff of existence, as its two army factions continue to exchange gunfire.
Syria is aflame again. Aleppo is a microcosm of all that is wrong with the world as it fights terror. Over 1.5 million residents still reside in the “front-line urban enclave” so to speak.
Things are so bad that the United Nations has requested lulls in fighting so that aid and supplies and medical equipment and medicines can be shipped to affected areas.
It is a sobering thought that in 2016 the world has become more hostile than in 2015. There are now only 10 countries in the world that are seen as completely free from conflict, according to the authors of the 10th annual Global Peace Index which states:
“The conflict in the Middle East, the lack of a solution to the refugee crisis and an increase in deaths from major terrorist incidents have all contributed to the world being less peaceful in 2016 than it was in 2015.Only Botswana, Chile, Costa Rica, Japan, Mauritius, Panama, Qatar, Switzerland, Uruguay and Vietnam are free from conflict.”
