Realism:Failure of 'Power'

  Since the end of the 20 ^th century when Huntington introduced the idea of “clash of civilizations”, predicting future wars to be waged by a number of cultural entities against each other, the debate over World War 111 has intensified in the world due to the different war, being waged between the US-led allies and the so-called Islamic militants on global and regional level in the drastic aftermath of the September 11 tragedy.

Different war between the state and non-state actors as noted in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Kashmir, Lebanon, Somalia, Nigeria and elsewhere in the world indicates that we are at the preliminary stage of another greater war especially between the Muslims and the Western Christians, but we do not take its notice seriously.

Meanwhile, irresponsible attitude of some American and European politicians has given a dangerous dimension to the ongoing conflict by equating the “war on terror” with “war on Islam” and acts of Al Qaeda with all the Muslims in one way or the other. Their media have also heightened the currents of world politics on cultural and religious lines with the negative projection of Islam and Jehad. At present, people of the Islamic states also take the US “war on terror” as “war on Islam” in wake of the anti-Muslim propaganda of the West and illegitimate occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq. It is due to this fact and excessive use of force by the US-supported coalition like pounding and shelling of the cities and towns in the occupied countries—entailing same pattern of state terrorism which prevails in other pro-American states that even moderate Muslims are showing sympathies with the so-called Islamic militants.   

However, this new style clash of the 21 ^st century has reached an alarming point. And all the international community must make strenuous efforts to stop the same, before it converts into a full-fledged World War 111, which could destroy all the civilizations.

To prevent the World War111, particularly the major powers should explore conflict and its resolution, investigating the causes of the different war. In this regard, first of all colonial forces must vacate the occupying territories, seeking a durable solution of the issues such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine and Kashmir which have become breeding grounds of all forms of terrorism. Conflict of interests between the warring nations could be reconciled through mutual dialogue and accommodation.

By discussing the best ways of pre-empting another greater war and securing peace, the media can play an important role. Especially, Western media which is technologically more developed than that of the Islamic world should stop anti-Muslim propaganda campaign. In this context, anti-Islamic approach of the media could be judged from cartoon stories about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), published in the European press in 2006 and were defended by most of their citizens in the name of freedom of expression.  Recently, in Sudan, a British lady teacher committed an act of blasphemy when she named a doll in the Kindergarten as Muhammad. Every time such sort of negative developments greatly hurt the feelings of all the Muslims, providing the Al Qaeda-related militants with new ammunition to fight the present war on religious lines.

It is pertinent to mention that use of such terms as Islamic militants and Muslim fundamentalism are commonly used by the American and European leaders, scholars and journalists, creating an impression that all the Muslims are fanatics. While on the other hand, no Muslim had employed these terms like Christian militants and Christian fundamentalism in relation to Serb atrocities on Bosnian Muslims. Nevertheless, Western world must abandon this practice which is necessary for world peace at this sensitive juncture.

To defuse the warlike global situation, Muslims, Christians, Jews and Hindus living in any part of the world should change their mutual mistrust into mutual trust and understanding by respecting each others’ rights as human beings. They need to break out of their artificial intellectual ghettos—and eliminate their mentality of ‘right or wrong’, ‘foe or friend’ which is keeping the tea pot boiling as displayed in form of the low intensity conflict on international level. 

In this context, vested politicians and groups including media must also be prevented through a code of ethics not to capitalize the opportunity to fan the ethnicity by creating cultural-based discord between various religious entities, particularly Muslims and Western Christians. Cultural cooperation is very essential between the East and the West for peaceful co-existence which is likely to check the present conflict from culminating into an all-out war.

Our global co-existence depends upon learning to live together without threat of violence and conflict. In this regard, peace education and optimistic propaganda can offer us topics that touch the lives of worlds’ civilizations and issues, clarifying values, understanding cultural diversity and resolving conflicts both internal and external ones.

Particularly, intellectuals of the Islamic and Christian nations have special responsibility in developing positive attitudes and common values among their respective religious communities concerning peaceful leaving as global citizens. They need to promote concept of world peace on personal, community and international level.

Although the process of peaceful co-existence will take sometime in wake of the intensity of the ongoing different war yet the same is very essential to prevent the World War 111 in future.

The writer is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations

My own article, published in Pakistan's English daily, The Nation on February 20, 2008

Email: sajjad_logic@yahoo.com