Editorial | A perpetual power game

The story of mankind is the story of the unfolding of man’s urge to dominate. This desire to dominate plays out itself at every level of human interaction and exchange. The most furious expression is always in the realm of political power. This is one of the most prominent explanations of war and violence between tribes, nations, and civilisations.  After the two great wars in the recent past the mankind understood that war now means complete annihilation.  So the heads did some serious thinking to ensure that a full scale military confrontation is avoided at any cost. This gave birth to transnational organisations, and a deep culture of diplomacy. Then there was another theory that promoted the view that democracies don’t go to war.  What makes us fearful now is that both these defences are weakening. The  transnational organisations are becoming a locale of contest between great powers, and democracy around the globe is on a decline. Does that sound like an alarm bell. Yes, it does. Probably that is why crisis are deepening in the world. Even if there is a temporary relief in the savagery of the situation, things slide back into the same abyss of hopelessness.

This is because the points of contest have become too many and too sharp. In this scenario a perpetual sadness in the atmosphere is so overbearing that one loses all capacity to think, and any traces of optimism are washed out. The only, and the most scary question that hits each conscientious soul in such a situation is: what is it that the future holds for us. The answers are depressing. And add to this the new dynamic unleashed by covid 19, and the consequent economic collapse. But that is  not the end of it, and it certainly should not be. Human societies have, like that proverbial phenix, risen from ashes.  But it needs seriousness of purpose and a relentless struggle to save mankind from the perils of war. Everything  has a solution if greed, hate, pride, and such negative forces are kept in check.

   

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