Dr Survè's grim possibility of nuclear war must be taken seriously

The profound statement by Dr Iqbal Surve on the grim possibility of Nuclear War must be taken seriously.

We live in a fractured world which is breaking up in slow motion.

The many gruesome conflicts and bloodshed continue unabated. These debacles will give birth to new and more brutal conflicts in the years ahead. It is a sad fact that the entire world is engaged in perpetual conflict, wars with no end. The entire fabric of stable global governance is being torn to shreds. 

Recovery, stability and sanity will evade the area for decades to come. The bloody carnage in war-torn areas has morphed into brutal civil wars that defy description. Treachery has become a cardinal feature of the United States' foreign policy for over 50 years. 

History will record 2023/4 as a brutal year for mankind. Bombs, missiles, and chemical weapons were the emblems of these violent conflicts. History will record that it was a regime change in various countries that triggered the migrant crisis in North Africa. 

The United States' foreign policy over the past 20 years, played a crucial role in destabilising the globe. Sadly, American leaders over the past 50 years were unable to distinguish friend from foe, with blinkers on, as they brazenly defy the world.

Religious intolerance and sectarian violence are ugly scars that have left their deadly imprint on the battlefields of this blood-soaked planet, where wars and military intervention have become the symbols of an emerging new world order. 

Exotic new weapons are being introduced that could obliterate the human race in 60 minutes. Leaders are blissfully unaware that their deranged strategies are seconds away from Armageddon.

It was President John F Kennedy who, on the 25th September 1961, had this to say at the United Nations: “Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind.”

Lasting peace cannot be built while we are reviling or hating others. Permanent peace will have to prevail on this planet. 

The other alternative is annihilation in a global conflict. Often dubbed as a mirage, peace can be a reality that each of us if we have faith in our innate power to do good, to be good and see good. (Divide Discourse 25.10.1974) It was Martin Luther King Jr who said, “The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.” 

Let there be no mistake, the present constellation of global events will most certainly lead to a global war of immense proportions. 

Trade wars, new populist right-wing governments, are fanning the flames of potential conflicts, as powerful leaders hurl insults at one another. The fight for resources on a global scale will usher in new conflicts that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind.

The next immense conflict could be between India and Pakistan, a conflict that could set the whole of Asia on fire and involve the whole of humanity.

Farouk Araie  I  Joburg