What exactly do they care for? I suppose they got it in their heads that might do the trick, and yet the poor must cope with whatever it may be. These are words that are more than true; modern-day international politics just shapes itself around the power, instead of who is right and wrong in factual accomplishments. World politics has always followed a realist approach. The conclusion of the Second World War brought up the idea of liberalism, which deals with coexistence, cooperation, collaboration, and peace. The founders of liberalism thought of a world of peace, harmony, and coexistence.
Realism is dominating; the arms race is increasing, the powerful are dominating, and the weak are bleeding.
But unfortunately, the influence of realism never diminished in the scenes of global politics. Similarly, the 21st century witnesses the rise of populism, autocracy, dictatorship, and declining democracy. The rise of populist leaders and their nationalist and xenophobic approach is undoubtedly hurting the peace of the world.
The ongoing clashes between countries and blatant genocide by the countries demonstrate the bleak picture of the international system envisaged to maintain peace and harmony in international society. Realism is dominating; the arms race is increasing, the powerful are dominating, and the weak are bleeding. This is how the international system is working.
The international system also supports evils because they are strong, but the weak states are in deplorable conditions. Whether it be Israel, Russia, or other countries, or others, no one is capable of stopping them from waging war. Years have passed, still Ukraine is pleading for help and has not yet achieved the desired results. The blatant genocide of innocent Palestinians by Israel is increasing, but the global leaders are showing numb behavior to help them.
The recent escalations between Israel and Iran add further fuel to the fire of the existing regional conflagration. Israel attacked Iran on the pretext of preventing the establishment of nuclear weapons. They killed top military brass of Iran, nuclear scientists, and other non-combatants. In retaliation, Iran also attacked Israel. But one can ponder why Israel is being given the upper hand by the US administration to violate the sovereignty of any country and break all international conventions?
Populist leaders weaponize war to win elections and distract from domestic failures.
Iran is a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and is allowed nuclear enrichment only to 3.6%. Iran and other Western countries agreed to the JCPOA Agreement under the Obama administration, but the Trump administration withdrew from the treaty in 2016. According to international reports, Iran has enrichment of around 60% to 80%, enough to make a nuclear weapon.
The trump administration warned Iran to halt the enrichment, and Oman talks were held between both countries to lower the tense relationship. But the sudden attack by Israel on Iran shifted the diplomatic efforts to a confrontation. Thus, a new war zone has been opened after the Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Palestine, and India-Pakistan wars.
The support of the United States to Israel and intelligence sharing between both countries is dragging the superpower into another conflict in the Middle East. The USA has already lost 14 trillion dollars engaging in the wars in the Middle East in the past. Again, Washington is making steps to annihilate Iran, as we can see from the tweets of Mr. Trump. However, the year 2026 is a deadly year where two nuclear countries came to the brink of war, genocide is ongoing in Palestine, Israel is violating international laws and the sovereignty of countries, Russia and Ukraine are still at the forefront, and the trade war between Washington and Beijing is increasing. Why is the world becoming a hell to live in? Why are the global leaders keen to destroy the peace of the world and endanger the lives of innocent people?
One cannot deny that the rise of populist leaders is among the causes of why we are living in this era. The populist leaders can do anything to win the elections and gain domestic support. The most suitable option they are choosing is to weaponize the war and accelerate the tense situation in which they can win again and gain voter turnout, as Indian Prime Minister Modi did in the recent escalation, and the president of Israel is doing while waging war against neighboring countries.
Israel attacked Iran on the pretext of nuclear prevention, disrupting ongoing diplomatic talks and regional stability.
But the question arises: Why is President Donald Trump, who gave great importance to accelerating global peace in his election manifesto, giving an upper hand to Israel for regional conflagration? Now the Israeli president has said, “We want to kill Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, “which is again an absurd statement. Iran is already grappling with a myriad of challenges, and the recent Oman talks were held where Iran ensured confidence in its civilian nuclear purpose. But amidst the talks, Israel’s attack further dragged the region into turmoil.
Let’s suppose Israel attacks Iran’s oil facilities, and the Strait of Hormuz is closed. The global oil volatility will grip the world, as we witnessed in the Russia-Ukraine war. The surge in oil prices will increase inflation, which will hurt the world again and affect poor people. If both countries escalate the war, it will increase regional conflagration as well. According to SIPRI, the arms race is increasing. All countries are modernizing their stockpiles and weapons to balance the power in the anarchic international system, where self-help and survival are important, not dependency on others.
Diplomacy must be prioritized over confrontation. President Trump must welcome diplomacy and make the Oman talks more fruitful to maintain peace in the region. Iran should follow professional diplomatic maneuver and lighten the ideological influence in its foreign policy. The role of China, Russia, and others is of paramount importance. Undeniably, weapon industries are getting benefits from these wars, but the cost of human lives is more than that.
Diplomacy must be prioritized over confrontation; war only benefits arms industries while civilians pay the real cost.
Unfortunately, realism is taking the lead, and the weak have no laws, no support, and no waiver in this realist world. The only thing all countries prioritize is self-help and less dependency on others. As we can see, in the India-Pakistan recent conflict, nuclear deterrence and balance of power prevented nuclear annihilation. One cannot forget that Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.
