It is truly a global village when it comes to power politics at a global level. A change in policy at the apex level travels swiftly to the farthest points in the base of this political pyramid. One is forced to believe that it is not the bottom that informs the top so quickly and efficiently, as is the pinnacle that shapes up the bottom; significantly and swiftly. That is what perhaps the political and social scientists, who also have a keen understanding of historical processes, call the flow of time and tyranny of situation. Just somedays back we were in a situation where the south asian militaries – China, India and Pakistan – were locked in a confrontational scheme. There were moments in the preceding months where a clash seemed almost imminent. The statements made by the political leaderships in all these states, and the way things were presented in popular spaces; all this sounded alarm bells. As the things protracted, the expression of apprehension was consistent, and it looked like the things are poised for some long term clash. But suddenly the news of disengagement comes. Two huge armies of the south asian region agree to step back, and with this a beginning of a deescalation that was up until yesterday thought of as extremely difficult, if not impossible.
Close on the heels of this comes another equally, if not more, sensational news; ceasefire along LoC. With this the talk of all nice things renewed. The old references from the closets of the peace-process times were taken out. All this reminds of the impact of the global powers on the decisions made by the states world over. The change of guard in the US, and with that a policy shift happening, has started showing its impact on the global issues. Cynicism apart, let’s all pray that things take a shape that gives people globally a reason to take a sigh of relief. If the leadership at the top thinks in a constructive framework, and the global institutions join hands to repair the damages caused in the last years, that is a welcome development. If the leadership in the south asian region decides to lift the economy from the depths it has plummeted to because of covid, that is a better choice than to revel in the images of animosities.