The New Year has arrived and it brought with it new hopes, aspirations and expectations to all people across the world. Without any significant doubt we can say that the most important thing that we all wish for this year is to bring about a peaceful world for all its inhabitants.
There would be no difference in opinion that we would have to work really hard to bring peace as there is plenty of chaos going on in different parts of the world. The United States’ “war on terror” doesn’t seem to be ending in the near future. Conflict between the US troops and the extremists are going on unabated in Afghanistan and in Iraq. With a contemplated surge in troops to Afghanistan, the US has made it clear that it is not having the intention of making an end to the war in Afghanistan. Bomb explosions and other forms of mass killing are still going on in the country. In Iraq, the situation is not different either and people are losing lives almost every day. The world need to act together and act decisively to find a peaceful solution to the issues at Afghanistan and Iraq if peace has to be brought into those countries.
Terrorism remains the most dreaded reason for the persistence of human tragedy all around the world. The recent effort by a Nigerian national Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to destroy Northwest Airlines Aircraft is one of the most recent examples of mindless terrorism. Security systems are getting improved but that is not stopping the terrorists from going on with their plans. They are able to find out loopholes in all security systems which was evident in the case of Abdulmutallab as he was able to get into the aircraft with the explosives without getting detected. It was only because of the good fate of the passengers, not the robustness of the security system that the explosive didn’t detonate as expected by the terrorists.
Pakistan still remains a state that is unstable and dangerous. Terrorists have been finding safe havens in that country as political stability remains elusive and political parties having no time to think about national and international security as they are always embroiled in some sort of internal squabbling. Terrorists with the backing of the ISI are still in the look out of planning terrorist strikes in India. The India-Pakistan composite dialogue process is in the backburner since the 26/11 Mumbai attack. In order to bring back the peace process we need to find a solution to this impasse.
Africa is also reeling under problems of extremism, hunger, poverty and deprivation. The internal conflict in Sudan caught the attention of the international community. The situation is still grave in the country and their President Oman al-Bashir is wanted by the international criminal court for war crimes including large scale genocide. Millions of people from the country are suffering in the refugee camps in Darfur and in neighbouring Chad. The longest running conflict in Africa has displaced 3, 50,000 people from their homes. The conflict between the northern part of Sudan and the southern part is partly sponsored by China and the United States by supplying arms and ammunitions to the warring groups.
In India also the New Year has ushered in hopes and aspirations of a year of peaceful coexistence between people of different interests. Efforts should be made in the governmental level and individual level to find lasting solutions to the problems that we’re facing now. The Indian government would be worried at present with the Telangana issue as it is quite imperative to find a solution to the issue. People are taking it to the streets and situation seems to be going out of control. Government should also take steps to find a solution to the Maoists problem in West Bengal and in other regions in the “Red Corridor”. In the north-east, the Indian government is confronted with finding a solution to the extremism of the ULFA.
Human rights abuses are also in the increase in all over the world. The United States, under the pretext of the war on terror is widely denying human rights to detenus in its various detentions centres. Though it is a good thing to know that the infamous Guantanamo Bay will not be operating from January 22, 2010, there are other US detentions centres were gross human rights abuses are done. The detention facility operated by the US Department of Defence in Bagram is a classic example of such sort of a detention centre where violations of human rights is the norm and not the exception. Such human rights abuses should be stopped as soon as possible if the US aims at upholding principles of liberty and human justice. Countries like Cuba, China, Iran, Venezuela etc. are also engaged in human rights abuses, which take the form of abusing people who use their freedom of speech and expression to point out lapses and errors in governmental policies. People who voice their opposition to the wrong governmental policies are often detained without any due legal processes. Organisations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have been in the forefront in pointing out such reprehensible deeds of governments in power.
Climate change is another important factor that needs to be kept in mind which is one of the most importance factors that would affect human life this year and beyond. Though the Copenhagen summit hasn’t brought about any significant result, all should work together in finding out a solution to this global menace at least in the summit in the Mexico City that would happen this year.
In order to bring about peace and tranquillity in the world, all must work together this year in a spirit of brotherhood and harmonious co-existence. There must be greater importance given to scientific vigour and knowledge sharing, as it is the most important measure that can be taken to improve the lives of the people and in instilling in them greater human values.
