What is happening to this world?

Over the last decade we have witnessed earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, cyclones, droughts and wide array of natural disasters.

While having to deal with such disasters, many nations have additional worries such as terrorist activities, communal problems, and conflicts with neighbouring lands. During recent years, religious extremism has posed as a national threat to many countries such as USA. Countries such as Sri Lanka, Israel, Bosnia, Northern Ireland, Chechnya, have been involved in territorial and ethnic disputes for some time now. What is the future of the world considering that we are beset with problems with capacities more than what we can handle?

Source of most group conflicts arise out of segregation. We as a human race due to prejudices and social conditioning make distinctions based on ethnicities, religions, class system, economic power etc. Discrimination as a result of segregation leads to oppression of one sect over the other, which results in strife and conflict. Religious, ethnic strife are most commonly due this reason. The persecution of Jew and gypsies by Nazis, racial discrimination against blacks in US in the 50s, Apartheid, ethnic cleansing of Armenians by Turks are some of the examples in the past. Such events in the recent past have occurred in Bosnia and Kosovo, Killings of Kurds in Iraq and Turkey, Rwanda and closer home with conflicts between Sri Lankan Tamils and Sinhalese Buddhists, etc.

Territorial occupations, economic reasons (as in the crisis in East Timor), ideological beliefs lead to conflicts of other kinds. Disputed territories such as Kashmir, Nagorno Karabakh (Armenia vs. Azerbaijan), Tibetan occupation by China has displaced hundreds of thousands of people who are now given refugee status in their own lands or outside. Ideological exuberance drives leaders to commit horrific crimes as seen with Khmer rogue in Cambodia. Source of such conflicts arise over misuse of power. What drives leaders to persecute and kill people overlooking logic and humane consideration? Saddam Hussein, Pol Pot, Hitler, Mobutu Sese Seko all rose to posts of incredible power and led their country into economic ruin or into political fiascos.

It is interesting to note that religious and ethnic disputes often are deeply connected with territorial disputes and vice versa. Another point is also that religious disputes are as likely to occur within groups of same religion as with two separate religions as seen with Kurdish killings, Sunni and Shia problems in Iran, not to forget the Northern Ireland conflicts. Doesn’t this indicate that conflicts are just not religious tugs of war but have more to do with subjugation and oppression, which is a human phenomenon?

Some of the problems could also be considered as a legacy from the European colonial rule. The concept of superiority of lighter skinned people over the darker skins or Christians over pagans was a typical early colonial way of thinking. Dividing people, territories over race and religion exacerbated any turbulence present in the occupied lands. US and some European countries has also been a precipitator of armed conflicts in many nations by providing arms for their own economic interests. This was seen in Rwanda (where French supported the government with arms), Zaire and East Timor (with US support to Mobutu and Indonesia governments respectively) as well in Afghanistan (US sponsored Mujahidin against Soviet Union) and with Hamas (which was initially funded by Israel as a counterbalance against PLO). And there have been a host of undemocratic dictators in South America who have had good backing of the US government in the past. Today, these countries are being made to deal with demons they helped create.

The Israel and Palestine issue has been the bone of contention between the west and the Arab world for last 50 years. Islam fundamentalist terror acts have spread world wide; USA, South Asia, South America, Middle East, Africa, Europe (as in UK and Spain recently) have found themselves targets. It is well known that Al-Qaeda financially supports extremists in Bosnia, Albania, Chechnya, Kashmir, and Palestine. Could this possibly led to a large-scale global conflict in the future?

Isn’t it imperative that we solve conflicts of such kinds before they escalate into global proportions while we have other and more important battles to fight? The next coming decade presents us with formidable tasks. We have been presented with challenges to eradicate and tackle poverty, HIV, unemployment, illiteracy, pollution, and environmental hazards. In the coming years, natural disasters and environmental hazards are going to be of leading causes of deaths among children and adolescents. We are therefore required to draw on our resources and efforts into solving conflicts when and while we can rather than prolong and delay them.

The conflicts of the first kind arising out of differences and distinctions would be eventually dissolved as the human race progresses towards a more secular thought. With global awareness and education, we humans will be open to differences (as one already see this in most of the secular societies) and basis of ethnicity and religion might never be a reason for bias or conflict by providing all with equal opportunity.

A common ideology must bind people all over which must be that of peace and harmony. Rightful use of power, respect for human rights will facilitate and promote global security. Economic development leading to reduction of material inequalities and disparity between various societies might also be also an impetus to growing understanding and harmony (and vice versa). There is of course a rather a more complex interconnectedness between all the factors contributing to global stability and development than as stated above.

With giant strides being made in global understanding, trade and human rights we have more to accomplish with newer dangers and challenges lurking around the corner for which a conscious, intelligent, collective and proactive effort is required. With differences put away, we can work and deal with problems such as environmental hazards, poverty, diseases and other impending natural disasters more effectively for the over all good.

Will the end of this century see the fruition to such efforts? Will we be able to create a safe, healthy, and a stable world for our children? Only time will tell.