Handling the Great Global War

In the world scenario that has emerged during this pandemic, the speculations of third world war going on since mid-1980s seem to be tending towards becoming a reality. Along with other scholars, BBC journalist Humphrey Hawksley in his novel ‘The Third World War’ first published in 2003 presented interesting analysis as to how the dangerous acts of China, Pakistan and North Korea will lead to inception of this war resulting in demolition of these dangerous designers. In this novel he has mentioned the significant role of the air base of Gorakhpur too. Another author Aniruddha D. Joshi in his book ‘Third World War’ published in 2006 as a series of articles estimates the timing of this war as near about 2026-2031.

The American economist of Indian origin Dr. Ravi Batra in his analysis of trade cycles in USA also indicated its timing as during 2029-2036 in his famous books ‘The Great Depression of 1990’ and ‘Surviving Great Depression of 1990’. But prophecies in novels or analyses of trends need not go with perfect accuracy. The dream of ship wreck as imagined in a novella ‘Futility’ written by Morgan Robertson published in 1898 (and revised as The Wreck of the Titan in 1912) has been famous for its similarities with sinking of the real RMS Titanic, a British passenger liner in the North Atlantic Ocean 14 years later in April 1912 was bound to have some differences in description. Such descriptions are not so important as their accuracy may be affected by the actual acts of the real players. But their indications are important.

Today the well-intentioned people all over the world and their governments are readily willing to support India in the fight against terrorist and anti-human forces mainly due to the dangerous designs and activities of governments of China and also Pakistan, North Korea and even Nepal. It is a good signal for India. India should not waste this great opportunity. We need to be really aggressive in our defense and external strategies as the Prime Minister has exhorted in his Leh address recalling Lord Krishna on July 4 saying, ‘This is the era of development, not expansionism’. Such assertiveness should reflect & transpire in actuality. We need to be utterly clear and silver-tongued in our foreign policy with broad strategic objectives and not just narrow calculations of national profit.

Our position so far has been highly defensive. We could not dare to initiate diplomatic relations with Taiwan just to avoid displeasure of China. But now India should support, persuade and endorse to the world community to recognize Hongkong, Tibet, Baluchistan, Pakhtunistan, South Mongolia, East Turkestan, Manchuria as independent countries with provisional governments. The tyrannies of China and North Korea cannot be left out merely as internal matters with false notions of national sovereignty. A hegemonic China is always danger to the whole world. Same is applicable to all narrow religious sentimental and ideological fanaticism devoid of application of science, rationality and pragmatism. Such dangerous narrow sentiments which oppose the idea of universal brotherhood need to be crushed by the world community timely. Nationalism and communism have been used since times immemorial by autocrats as tools of power capturing and perpetuation.

By taking clear position on these issues and promoting the global community to come together, opportunities will arise on their own for solving the issues of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, Aksai Chin, Arunachal Pradesh, Nepal and Bhutan. Such issues cannot be so easily solved through nationalism. Nationalism has always invited bloody wars, speedy destructions, slow but tormenting disturbances and restart of another series of imperialism, expansionism, subjugation and exploitation. Nationalism can’t work in the present world situation. It is not effective enough to protect the national interests, rather it is inimical to it.

USA has been frequently accused for fragmentation of the Soviet Union during 1987-91. But could America really do so against a colossal superpower. The reality is that it was the amalgam of Russian nationalism and communism which was regularly and blindly used by the Soviet dictators right from V. I. Lenin to suppress the local aspirations, issues and needs as well as hiding maximum information in the name of national interest; and it was this amalgam which led to execrable quality in manufacturing and low productivity in rural soviets—all this led to high frustration among the soviet masses. This issue combined with the vote politics of same Russian dictators to allow members of the Soviet confederation like Ukraine, Azerbaijan, etc., to vote in the UN assembly as separate nations. Had the Unite States of America also adopted similar policy and allowed its 50 states voting in the UN as separate nations USA could also have suffered the same fate easily long ago. Hence, whatever happened with the USSR was solely due to the narrowism of its own dictators.

The similar amalgam of nationalism and communism has long been used by the Chinese dictators and more so during the president Xi Jinping’s regime again leading to same phenomena of hiding all information from its own people & also misleading the world community; similar poor quality; patents’ and human rights’ violations; same high frustration among the masses; and disturbing the neighboring countries. Hence, China has to break away anyhow due to acts of its bullet-oriented dictators. All this has converted into the current COVID-19 pandemic and thus inviting the rage of the world masses. America and its allies have got the best opportunity to encash upon it in global well-being.

Pakistan has also emerged similarly as a danger to whole humanity. Its religious fanaticism, open support by its government and military to Islamic terrorism, it’s dangerous designs through strong collaboration with China and misleading the world community have proven this. It is a failed destructive state, hence it should also be now forced to disperse as a nation. North Korea should be freed from the clutches of its autocratic regime and better be forced to merge with South Korea. All these can now be done within a short span keeping in mind the readiness of the enraged world community in present. Initial focus should be limited to handling the two most irresponsible ones–China and Pakistan. Any other sympathizing with them should also be within preview when required.
National sovereignties have always obstructed the efficacy of United Nations, World Trade Organization, Security Council, WHO and so many other so-called world bodies by reducing them to mere treaty status subject to convenience and mercy of sovereignties of the powerful nations. National sovereignty needs to be put in sub-servience to world governance as well as peace and welfare of the world community, else it will always create dangers to world peace and security as has been indicated earlier. History has also shown as how the powerful nations of Europe like Germany, France, Britain, Spain, Portugal, Italy, etc. first propagated their national sovereignties, then promoted imperialism and thereafter perpetuated colonialism for hundreds of years—all in the name of rightful promotion of their national interests. The same has been done in the 20th Century by the USA and Russia along with allies of each other during the second world war and thereafter during the cold war days. Now China with its allies is doing the same in extremely irresponsible and dangerous manner. The world organizations like the UNO have been so far bound to honor the mutually contradictory and clashful national sovereignties making these bodies ineffective. Hence, India should also persuade America and its allies to materialize the collective mind of the world community into a formalized really representative, responsible and responsive world government overriding the national sovereignties.

Now let us again come back to the outrage of the people all over the world against the autocracies and terrorism supporting governments this time mainly by way of Covid-19. An effective and lasting solution to their irresponsible and dangerous acts is needed not only as a lesson to them but also as a learning to all such other self-centered and self-imposing extremist dogmatic and exploitative tendencies. To minimize losses during the forthcoming great global venture, it is necessary for Indian and also European leaderships to remove the misunderstandings of Russia about the role of the USA in disintegration of USSR as well as persuade the USA to reduce its selfish capitalist and pseudo-capitalist tendencies so that hesitation of Russia in co-operation with America against the dangerous designs of tyrants as mentioned earlier may go wane and both may cooperate with well-meaning people of the world. Their clashes for hegemony and supremacy over the world are not good in global search for peace, collective welfare and cooperation.

If Russian government does not cooperate even after all persuasions of welfare & peace-oriented countries, it will invite rage of its own people. One should not forget that USSR was the largest nuclear power with four times more arsenals when it got disintegrated in 1991. Being a nuclear power is no existential guarantee for any government or country—this is a great learning particularly for China and its allies. After all, this time is a worthy opportunity for lasting world peace and welfare. This opportunity should be utilized strongly and speedily.

(Writer is a Professor in Department of Commerce, DDU Gorakhpur University and a socio-economic issue expert)