Editor's Note
Troops mass on the borders, and ordinance by the cargo
plane lands in Ukraine. The world is nervous about starting WWIII while
Ukrainians have already been fighting since 2014. No one says it, but the U.S.
is neither hero nor savior here and was actively involved in the actions that
lead to the Russians reintegrating Crimea. The U.S. did not like the
Russian-leaning Ukrainian administration and stirred the pot to overthrow it.
This was not a new tactic by the United States. It has been the standard modus operandi
for decades – regardless of what party held the White House. The decisions made
have little concern about either what is good for the Ukrainians, or what they
might want. U.S. intervention is ALWAYS about U.S. interests, and at the top of
those interests here is to maintain a military noose around Russia.
Putin is no angel. He is a
dictator with a stranglehold on power. He apparently wants to reacquire the
Soviet satellite nations to Russian interest if not control. I believe this is
in part to provide a buffer between the “West” and Russia. Not in terms of
influence, but because the U.S. has a ring of missiles around the borders of
Russia. Having friendly buffer states would force those emplacements further
from Russia. And hence the struggle over “influence” in Ukraine.
The
U.S. does not intervene anywhere unless it suits U.S. “interests”. Those
interests are generally either resources, transport routes, or corporate
interests. That includes Ukraine. There is little, if any, concern for the
Ukrainians or their needs and desires. But what happens here may be the start
of major conflict – even WWIII. And yes, the same threat of WWIII exists in the
Middle East and even Africa in the near future. The whole planet is a tinder
box both literally and figuratively which is all the more reason to be building
trust and cooperative relations rather than militancy (no matter how profitable
war is for some).
We are
living in what is called the “information age”, but for the most part, we are
tremendously uninformed. We, at best, get slices and snapshots, and those are
contextualized in generally unhelpful ways. I offer the featured picture for
this article. It is of a stream in the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine. Ukraine
is not some grey place lost in the mists of the 1940s. It is a beautiful and
vibrant place with humans living with the same desires of humans everywhere and
dealing with the same problems – like this pandemic. Ukrainians deserve to be
able to take a deep breath and hug their loved ones without the fear of a major
conflagration flattening their homes.
Let us make peace with the same fervor we have made war.
Mahboob
Khawaja, PhD
Immanuel
Kant, the German philosopher wrote in
Critique of Practical Reason, imperative of moral human conduct requires
to “Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own
person or in the person of another, always at the same time as an end and never
simply as a means”.
The
ongoing war syndrome between America, NATO, and Russia typifies what can go
wrong when human thinking evolution is restricted to imaginary temptations and
compulsions of animosities. Often myth of war is manifested in self-interest
and its evolution becomes unquestionable on the rational screen of reason and
moral values. We see immature leadership surrounding conditions of egoism and
primacy of will to clarify the reality of warfare. As of this moment, there is
no emerging war on the ground, alleged “aggression” or dynamic syntax of
compelling move to unleash war either by Russia against Ukraine or Russia vs.
America and NATO. Rationally speaking, the myth of contemporary ground warfare
is incomprehensible to an outsider. The mass media propaganda appears to set
the psychological conditions of “Russian war” and “aggressions” without
realizing its real-world effects, it spreads frightening waves of fear and
hatred across the globe.
Is
media propaganda a weapon of the conquest of human minds, souls, and
future-making? The imaginary foresight of any futuristic war captions the
secret of the unknown and unthinkable. All wars have consequences. Global
humanity is not over the aftermath of even the 2nd WW as books, live stories
and movies are constantly haunting the human intellect. What were the motives
of the 2nd WW and why did Europeans kill each other by the millions and destroy
human habitats? Those who had planned and carried out the war atrocities have
long disappeared and can’t be held accountable for their crimes against
humanity.
Scott
Ritter (is a former Marine Corps intelligence officer who served in the
former Soviet Union implementing arms control treaties, in the Persian Gulf
during Operation Desert Storm, and in Iraq overseeing the disarmament of WMD):
“What War with Russia Look Like” (Global Research: 01/11/2022): explains
the irony of current affairs:
If
the U.S. tries to build up NATO forces on Russia’s western frontiers in the
aftermath of any Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia will then present Europe
with a fait accompli in the form of what would now be known as the “Ukrainian
model.” In short, Russia will guarantee that the Ukrainian treatment will be
applied to the Baltics, Poland, and even Finland, should it be foolish enough
to pursue NATO membership.
Is
There Irony in Political Wickedness and the Paradox of Egoism?
If you
know the nature of warmongering, you will certainly know yourself from the
annals of formative history. Are we, the People of the 21st century, a
knowledge-based age detached from the Nature of Things – who we are and where
we are? How would one rationalize the role and actions of NATO in a global
theater of strategic interests? The history of NATO and its plans and
ideological motives are equally distorted and disfigured on the global screen
of reason, honesty and accountability. NATO lost its importance by siding with
the US for its invasion and participation in wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya
and Syria. The current tensions draw divergent and conflicting perceptions and
order of wisdom to analyze its short and long-term impacts.
All
political configurations carry much evil and much good in any rational
optimistic outlook. Russia embarked on a massive military buildup on the
Ukrainian border to ensure its security. Its impact is alarming to most NATO
allies assuming an imminent attack on Ukraine. Not so, deny most Russian
officials, it is an exercise on Russian territory. American-led NATO believes
it is a challenge to its vulnerability and strategic presence in the region.
How to analyze the intentions in a knowledge-based strategic foresight? True
knowledge is always benevolent, not concealing or retaliating. America and NATO
reacting to a tense situation require logical clarification of hidden
intentions. If time and history are a reference point, those obsessed with
invincible armies cannot solve the emerging political crises.
Is
Russia exercising its own right to hold usual military drills? There is no
alleged “aggression” or any hostile acts performed so far against the Ukraine
sovereignty. America and West Europeans are keen to strike a balancing
act by stationing their troops to the adjacent East European countries to
remind the Russian of any consequences if they strike at Ukraine. If we are
open to adaptability and an enlightened fortitude and respect for a state’s
sovereignty, could Russia be helping Ukraine to strengthen its strategic
capacity and telling the US-led NATO to be aware that Russia has strong
defensive capacity in all emerging and unusual situations? Russia, NATO,
and America cannot possibly be participants in a self-destructive formula.
Rationality finds it hard to determine what Russia can or will gain if Ukraine
is attacked. Is it a puzzle game launched by the policymakers on both sides of
the iron curtain?
Often
crises have multiple spillover agendas. President Putin and President Zellensky
of Ukraine could be meeting at Beijing Winter Olympics this week. Both know
well their future survival lives in peace and harmony, not in conflict-making
or conflict-keeping. German Chancellor and French President Macron are active
to bring both sides to some diplomatic resolution. President Endogen (Turkey)
has offered Russia and Ukraine to hold peace talks in Ankara. Could
America-NATO be surprised if Putin and Zellensky come to a meeting of mind and
sign a diplomatic peace agreement? Both nations share a rich geography
and history together. Could we witness the coming of a new age of relationship
between Russia, Ukraine, and an America-led NATO when even most exemplary
political vigilance could be liable to unusual surprises?
Leaders
with Reason Think Before They Act
The
voices of reason are loud and clear as global humanity cannot suffer the
penalties of tyranny and war-mongering. It is wasting our time and
consuming our precious thoughts and energies for man-made insidious cruelty.
We, the People live in a splendid Universe in which planet Earth floats
ordained by the commands of God. We are moral beings, unlike animals that
possess the eyes, ears, and other senses but cannot draw logical conclusions
from their senses. We, the People, draw rational results from what we see and
what we hear, therefore, we are different, and we cannot act or live animals.
There is a moral sense of spirituality and humanity to coexist in harmony with
the rest of all creations on this Earth. Modern wars represent sadistic and
cruel minds to undermine human rights, dignity and life. They destroy all that
is built over the ages that we call human civilizations. All of the Abrahamic
Faiths (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) reveal the truth of “Trust” –
human beings took to be responsible and be at peace with the Nature of
Things. Any favorite perversion would contradict this Trust and embark on
killing and destruction of human habitats as history has witnessed during the
Two WW, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and ongoing in Yemen. This TRUST and
its reminder are explicitly mentioned in (The Qur’an, Chapter 33: 72):
“We
did indeed offer the Trust to the Heavens and the Earth; And the mountains but
they refused; To undertake it, being afraid thereof: But man undertook it; He
was indeed unjust and foolish.”
The
Earth is a living entity and is meant for us – human beings. We, the People, wonder who else except God created life, the Earth, and
the living Universe floating in space well balanced and functional since time
immemorial. Who else other than God determined the Earth spinning of 1670 km
per hour? Who other than God ordained it to orbit the sun at 107,000 km per
hour? And who else than God made it to spin at 28,437 km per hour at the
equator? (https://www.newscientist.com/question/fastearthspin/#ixzz7C8p37S9X).
Be aware that earth average distance to the Sun is about 93
million miles (105 million km); the distance of the Moon from
Earth is currently 384,821 km equivalent to 0.002572 Astronomical
Units and if the distance between the Earth-Sun or the Earth-moon were ever to
change, there will be no sign of life or habitats left on Earth.
We, the
People, wish to rejoice in truth, not
evil. We, the people of the world, enjoin focused minds and
imagination to articulate a new world of One Humanity, brotherhood, and peaceful
co-existence amongst all, free of hatred, fear, wars, encroachment, and
animosity. We, the people of the globe possess understanding –
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
God-given the living Universe in which we reside all.
Dr.
Mahboob A. Khawaja specializes in global security, peace and
conflict resolution with keen interests in Islamic-Western comparative
cultures and civilizations, and author of several publications including:
Global Peace and Conflict Management: Man and Humanity in Search of New
Thinking. Lambert Publishing Germany, May 2012. His forthcoming book is
entitled: One Humanity and The Remaking of Global Peace, Security and Conflict
Resolution
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