The world has never looked so unstable

On this very day seventy nine years ago on August 6, 1945, the world witnessed the horrendous, destructive power of the atom when a nuclear blast decimated the city of Hiroshima in Japan killing thousands within seconds and leaving many more scarred for life.

It was a grim reminder to mankind that unless peace prevailed in every part of the globe in the decades to come, the possibility of a nuclear war would stare at mankind even signaling total annihilation.

And yet in the space of seven decades, few lessons have been learnt - from Vietnam to Yugoslavia, from the Indian peninsula to the Koreas, mankind has unleashed the worst forms of warfare including chemical and biological while the fear of extinction has kept the finger off the nuclear button since that fateful August.

But now, in 2024, the possibility of the world descending into catastrophic conflicts which could take it to the brink of a global war, look more menacing than ever. What’s even more frightening is the fact that there is no end in sight to any of the conflict raging in global hotspots.

The Russia-Ukraine war has been going on for more than two years with the casualties totaling up to several thousands but victory seems a far dream for either side. The Gaza conflict is continuing relentlessly for the past ten months and the death toll is nothing less than frightening –almost 40,000 on the Palestine side.

Today, this region is on the precipice of a wider conflict which could drag nations of the Middle-East and even world powers like the US into a war without end. There is unrest almost everywhere - in Paris which is hosting the Olympics games, left-wingers are on the rampage against the establishment amid uncertainty over government formation.

In the streets of London, pitched battles are being fought between right-wing supporters and the cops after the Labour Party swept to power defeating the Conservatives. A wave of fear has gripped the huge immigrant population with the rioters blaming them for the economic woes of the country.

And in the latest bout of instability, Bangladesh is being torn apart with mobs hitting the streets in protest against Sheikh Hasina who has resigned as PM and fled to India.

Embarrassing visuals of protesters in the presidential palace and of killings across the country, have ignited fears of another refugee crisis gripping India after the 1971 exodus. While Hasina desperately looks for refuge, the Bangladeshis are hoping against hope that the interim government will restore some semblance of stability.

In the Far-East, the Koreas are battling it out with trash and drones even as Kim Jong Un of the north engages in saber-rattling while warning of a nuclear war if things do not go his country’s way.

Amid the political chaos comes the grim news that many countries are staring at recession including the mighty United States; And these worries have sent global markets crashing several thousand points wrecking investors’ dreams and hopes of economic revival in many nations.

Where does the world go from here? Has the United Nations, once considered a powerful overarching power which could have its diktat implemented without fail, become so toothless that it cannot make member nations fall in line with any of its resolutions?

The Ukraine and Gaza wars have in particular seen a steep erosion of the UN’s credibility which is hardly surprising considering the manner in which warring nations have viewed its pleas with disdain.

As the prospects of peace further recede in conflictridden regions, it’s now or never for influential world leaders of the nations which command respect and clout in the global order.

They will have to engage in serious brainstorming and come up with effective solutions to dispel the notion that ‘might is always right’ and ensure that humanism prevails and brings the senseless killings to an end.