As this pandemic struck the world and deaths started mounting, the world realised that what it must have been for the people caught in violent conflicts. The images of children lost in these conflicts, families devastated, mass graves, and other destructive faces of these conflicts started doing rounds on social media. The global mainstream media also highlighted this facet of devastation brought about by violent conflicts world over. The human sufferings because of covid initiated this debate, world over, that hasn’t the global system been very unmindful of the devastations it brought to a number of populations in the world. It was probably this realisation that at certain places active hostilities were stopped. The UN chief’s appeal for ceasefire also points towards the same urge of stopping people from dying. But the problem is deeper than just being treated by a temporary ceasefire.
The intellectuals, and political analysts have long been making this point that there are certain things in the very making of this world system that give birth to violent conflicts and consequently we have humanitarian crisis. The economic and trade relations between various zones of this world, and at different levels of human societies are embedded in inequities and exploitation. It naturally leaves some segments out of the economic benefits and breeds contempt and anger in them towards the entire economic system. This contributes to violence. Similarly the political system, and the behaviour of states amongst themselves, and with the people within their purview, has resulted into violent clashes. Although transnational organisations have tried to reach out to the conflicting parties, but there never has been a mechanism that could make the role of these peace building organisations effective. The humanitarian crisis brought about by the covid pandemic has once again highlighted these issues. It is now for the global leadership to pursue it more seriously once we are past this crisis. It is now an imperative that the economic and political relationships must be made just, and humane. That is the only way we can make this world a peaceful place to live in, and also help in overcoming the adverse socio-economic impacts of the covid pandemic.