Alternative Pathways Needed as Reckless Pursuit of Dominance and Power causes Crisis after Crisis

In the first 15 weeks of this year 2025 most of the existing crisis situations have not shown any signs of getting resolved while new ones have also appeared.

The only positive achievement is that the relations between the two biggest nuclear weapon powers, the USA and Russia, are at least better than these were under the Biden administration, when these had got too close to direct confrontation on more than one occasion. On the other hand, US-China relations have deteriorated further and talk of the possibility of a US-China war in the near future continues to increase. US-Iran negotiations are taking place, which is good, but there is much fear still of the possibility of a wider regional war in the Middle-East in which exceptionally destructive weapons may be used to destroy the nuclear infra-structure of Iran.

The situation has not improved and may have worsened further in Gaza as not only have the genocidal actions continued after the breakdown of the fragile ceasefire, in addition increasing possibility of stepped up aggressive actions for driving out Palestinians from Gaza has been in the news.

In Ukraine hopes of very early end of war held out earlier by President Trump have been dashed, and now there is increasing uncertainty regarding peace prospects amidst continuing war. Whatever chances that had remained of the war ending on a note of goodwill and permanent peace have also decreased further very significantly.

Relations of most European countries with Russia have not improved, as some of the most influential leaders of these countries chose not to make use of new emerging opportunities for this, instead remaining trapped in earlier narrow, non-rational thinking of permanent hostility.

New tensions have emerged due to the USA’s increasing hostile actions towards leading neighboring countries like Canada and Mexico, as well as towards smaller ones like Panama.

Greenland faces increasing prospects of being taken over to various extents by the USA, while the entire Arctic region also faces higher chances of big-power rivalries and increased chances of them clashing over control of vast untapped resources and emerging trade routes, following melting of ice, with this race and rivalry also leading to increasing ecologic havoc in the region.

In Sudan the very violent civil war continues to cause widespread distress, and with civil war possibilities re-appearing in South Sudan too, the merger of these conflicts can worsen the situation further, particularly with wealthy foreign countries supporting rival sides, increasing the possibility of more destructive weapons becoming available.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo this year has seen the escalation of violence linked to rebel groups aided by neighboring countries, and there may be further complicating factors linked to more powerful distant countries with their sight on vast mineral resources.

In fact here as well as elsewhere, efforts of most powerful forces to gain control over minerals, oil, gas, farmland and other resources of distant lands, as well as the willingness to use violence for this, has become more brazen. While this gets more discussed in terms of one country eyeing or grabbing resources of another country, often it makes more sense to identify more clearly the resource grabbing persons and corporate interests, as well as their linkages to powerful politicians and officials. Such identification may reveal very narrow-minded, greedy and powerful persons not hesitating to unleash violence and conflict just to get their hands on enormous wealth.

There are also highly corrupt persons, in the military- industrial complex and among powerful decision makers ( as well as various professionals and hangers-on allied to them) who benefit personally from forever wars regardless of the most horrible destruction caused by these.

These powerful persons and forces have collaborated to create destructive pathways based on unending pursuit of dominance, rivalry, suspicion, aggression, greed and resource-grab, all of which they try to position as being in the interests of the protection of their country and people, although instead this leads only to increasing risks and violence. Ultimately, in a world where the most destructive weapons are available, this can lead to unprecedented destruction of life on earth. Forever wars are already very destructive, and in addition these wars and conflicts make it impossible to secure the cooperation of various nations and people for the most urgent task of protecting environment. What is more, wars, war preparations and arms race are themselves emerging as the biggest polluters.

Hence the issue is not one of looking at various crisis and conflict situations in isolation of each other, as this can at best lead to resolving of one crisis with great difficulty while a new and perhaps even more damaging one emerges, as the entire system overburdened with greed, rivalry and urge for dominance has become highly prone to going from one crisis to another. Hence more systemic reforms are needed, and many more people guided by the most experienced and honest scholars, diplomats and peace activists must devote more and more of their time and efforts for this, with the UNO also playing a more sincere and bigger role, to create the essential conditions for improving peace, safety and justice in our deeply troubled and badly threatened world.

Bharat Dogra is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Protecting Earth for Children, Planet in Peril, A Day in 2071 and Man over Machine.