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Global Humanity
Paralyzed by Covid-19

The Politics of Conflicts Looks for Change and Unity

The Covid-19 Pandemic Demands Critical Thinking and Human Unity
We are living in a connected world of virtual reality – people in one part of the globe cannot be separated by the Covid-19 pandemic and continued insanity of violent political conflicts. Men fighting each other due to a perpetuation of ignorance, greed, economic and intellectual exploitation and political domination – an unending irresistible impulse of ill-informed mindset led by the few against many. The political leaders, professing to be wise, act like anarchists of political indoctrination without knowledge and human integrity. Across the globe, the Covid-19 pandemic has paralyzed human society into a world of greater unknowns and socioeconomic and political instability. Vaccinations have been hurriedly developed and are being used on an experimental basis as if an effective remedial approach is beyond scientific and reasoned human understanding. Evil is real, not imaginary – be it the Covid pandemic or manmade political conflicts going on throughout the world and we, the 21st-century human societies and civilizations, are unable to cope with these all. The global community appears tormented by socioeconomic disparities and moral and political cruelty and injustice echo their own voices of reason and want under extremely unfavourable circumstances. One cannot separate evil and truth as we face a turbulent emerging future of uncertainty. We appear to be haunted by persistent forces of distortion and destruction.
The Covid-19 crisis is a strand that can be found in the interwoven people’s thought and politics of the 21st-century’s knowledge-based, informed governance that echoes concerns and priorities that humanitarian imperatives are sacrificed for political expediency. The common sentiment of human solidarity is increasing against the inept nationalistic politics of the few like former US President Trump’s “America First.” Politicians cannot resolve an exceptionally complex medical problem. When a global paradigm of this nature and unpredictable scope hits mankind, one cannot think to focus on national interest and political campaigns to get re-elected. We are witnessing the severe impacts of this pandemic across the globe and how millions and millions reject the politically maneuvered ideological divisions, hatred and fear and opt for understanding, collaboration and human solidarity to fight the virus with ingenuity, compassion and global unity. It is possible for the thinking people of the globe to rise up to the challenge anddemonstrate how best We the People are connected together as One Humanity to counter this invisible enemy without borders or nationalities. For several decades, the political elite of the global systematic governance remained preoccupied with warfare and the insanity of victimizing good parts of humanity in the Middle East, Asia, South America and many parts of Africa. We the People deserve change for global unity to tackle the unknown impacts of infectious disease. This is a call for global unity – from America, Europe, Russia, China, Asia, Africa and other parts of the world – we must rise to the challenge. Given the scientific knowledge and medical cures, we are capable of overcoming the multiple layers of socioeconomic and political problems affecting human societies and address the pandemic as well.
Political Conflicts Continue to Dehumanize and Undermine Rational Thinking
We are witnessing continuous killing and bombardment of civilian habitats in Palestine, Israel, Syria, Iraq and Kashmir. We watch helplessly as the Rohingya from Myanmar, and people from Yemen and elsewhere are forcibly displaced. Tyranny has no other name and is a planned calamity imposed on powerless and innocent human beings with nowhere to hide for survival. Palestinians are bombed and displaced from their natural homeland by forces of political ideology of Israel; Kashmiris are locked up for years by the Indian security forces for demanding their basic human rights of freedom and justice; Yemeni people are bombed by Saudis and UAE for political control and Syrians continue to be killed and displaced by authoritarianism. This was the moment that the UN Security Council should have developed a workable mechanism of safety and protection of civilians in all major centres of political and ethnic conflicts.
What sparked riots in East Jerusalem cannot be separated from the broader conflict between Israel and Palestine. The forcible eviction of Palestinians from their ancestral homes in East Jerusalem is a global issue, it is not the domestic affairs of Israel, and the UN, and America should treat its urgency for a peaceful resolution. A ceasefire is not the solution but a prelude to more factional conflicts. The core issue is the occupation and Israel should be made to understand that only a Two-State solution is the reasoned approach between the two rivals and to satisfy the norms of peace and expectations of the global community.
We need a constant force of reason, ingenuity and commitment to stop the killings and unwarranted bombardments of civilians – be it in Gaza, East Jerusalem, Yemen, and Syria or other parts of human cultures. If Israeli and Palestinian leaders could sit and have a dialogue, would it not be preferred rather than the inhuman shelling of civilian populations and cruelty of killing innocent children, and displacement of civilians with no ties to any political group. President Biden’s administration must rethink to evolve a reasoned approach for peacemaking and stop support of one against another in the Middle East conflict. Killing is madness, losing the sense of normalcy and reasoned discourse – has this not been happening for over 70 years in the Middle East? America and West Europe hold the key to stopping this insanity and to take initiatives for the restoration of human consciousness for change towards peacemaking and conflict resolution. The voices of reason are echoed across the globe but constant warfare undermines human concerns and optimism against many odds. We the People and Concerned Humanity must think out of the box as proactive scholars and thinkers to offer new visions and prospects of peaceful interaction and persuasion to resolve our differences and conflicts. Otherwise, we tend to be on the wrong side of thoughts, time and history to destroy our own existence and future.
Can We the People of Globe See in the Mirror for our Future-making?
If time and history are a reference point, humankind stands at a critical juncture of our own complacency to have allowed ignorance, hatred, fear and animosity to destroy our life, culture and existence. The few obsessed with invincible armies and political powers – the warriors as dreamers to control and dominate us – have driven humanity to a terrible sense of helplessness and void about our future. We are witnessing a growing culture of domination as was experienced in history – the self-centred maniacs claiming to be leaders of peace and all mankind, the most hated and feared are turning the world into more man-made tragedies, animosities continued drone attacks and bogus wars. All of this cruel chaos is causing massive death and destruction, endangering life, human habitats and the sanctity of the planet Earth. The meed is urgent to understand how to change the egoistic and embittered insanity of the few hate-mongers and warlords into an equilibrium of balanced relationship between Man, Life, and the God-given living Universe we all reside in.
In a time of humanitarian crisis of the pandemic, we must allow the truth of One Humanity to support our existence and future. We must rethink that we are not alone; how we care about others; the neglected and tormented humanity striving for its existence and sustainable lifelines. Often, politically aligned thinking in Europe and America has ignored the humanitarian vitality of China and Russia for convenient political expediency. There appears to be a lot of conjecture to be cleaned out and clarified for change and a new world order of collaboration and help for it is most needed beyond national flags and borders. We desperately need to re-organize our thoughts and genius towards unity and coordination to pool the human resources to fill the political gaps of egoism and anarchy between inept patriotism and needed global outreach to restructure our policies and practices. We need to extend humanitarian help to all those who need it most, not investing in weapons of mass destruction. We must shut our ears to claims of individual greatness, and open our hearts for a revitalized sense of One Humanity ready to protect the present and future of human civilizations.
Can we see the collective conscience as a mirror? Why have we been pushed to resort to inhumane characteristics and behaviours with those who appear to be well-educated and morally and intellectually intact but act like agents of the Draconian age as if there were no people of REASON and accountability populating the planet Earth? Bombardment of civilian habitats and displacement of the civilian population will not create a better world with hope and optimism for the future. We must use the force of reason, truth and adaptability to change and understand the contemporary crises and protect our rights to freedom and human dignity, and be One Humanity. I wait to learn more from your inner conscience, your sense of humanity, your deep insight to human emancipation for change and adaptability to the challenges of our common future as ONE Humanity as once one of the classical scholars Alexis Carrel entitled his book: Man, The Unknown.

Dr Mahboob A. Khawaja is the author of several publications including the latest: Global Peace, Security and Conflict Resolution: Approaches to Understand the Current Issues and Future-Making.