Highly disruptive and arbitrary policy decisions have been taken in recent times in countries from which much more maturity is expected and where democratic systems of checks and balances are supposed to be in place.
While such decision-making in the most influential and powerful countries would have been deeply worrying at any time, the fact that this is taking place at a time when the world is already in the middle of an existential crisis makes it much worse and in fact such irresponsible exercise of power in these times is nothing short of suicidal.
The existential crisis consists of a combination of at least two factors. Firstly, there are a number of environmental problems with tipping points serious enough to endanger the life-nurturing conditions of our planet within a few decades. Secondly there are weapons of mass destruction that can destroy the world much sooner and in even more painful ways.
Hence the most rational course of action for the world leadership is to devote itself first and foremost to achieve the increasing cooperation and unity that is needed to resolve the existential crisis within a framework of justice, peace and democracy.
However, in recent times the world leadership has not even been able to come close to achieving this. In recent times, the top leadership is acting in ways that will result in further big disruption instead of coming closer to any solution.
Let’s take a quick look at what has been happening in the first 15 or so weeks of this year (2025) so far. True, the year started on a promising note with a ceasefire in Gaza, even though a fragile one, while at the same time hopes increased after a long time of ending the Ukraine-Russia war. However further hopes have been dashed increasingly since then and Israel’s horrible onslaught on the people of Gaza has resumed with increasing support from the USA and several other leading western countries. Chances of US aggression against Iran escalating have increased further. The most serious conflicts in Africa too have worsened.
There are many disruptions in world economy and trade arising from irresponsible decisions. The trade war is the most intense between the USA and China and already there are apprehensions regarding if and at what stage this can lead to an actual war or a proxy war.
When a big power is aggressive against other countries economically, people often think that this is to get more gains for its people. However, there are hardly any gains for the people of the USA from President Trump’s policies so far. Instead, welfare benefits of various kinds for the vulnerable sections among them, inadequate even earlier, are being reduced drastically at several levels. There is also more suppression of democratic rights.
Europe while being shocked at many policies of Trump has not been able to respond in ways that show any enlightenment or provide any hope. Instead of using the new situation to strengthen European security in more comprehensive ways inclusive of Russia and thereby contribute also to early end of Ukraine war and to overall improved prospects of world peace, Europe refuses to go beyond its earlier non-rational perception of considering Russia to be permanent enemy. It appears some European leaders have lived so far with certain myths to such an extent that they have become incapable of emerging from them.
Thus, we have a very strange situation in which in a world faced with an existential crisis and needing permanent peace and much greater cooperation and trust to resolve this, the world’s prominent leaders are actually responding in very narrow and aggressive ways that worsen the crisis. Often big and prominent leaders display a very narrow vision that does not display any signs of being guided by any serious concern for the wider and deeper survival crisis. Earlier during certain stretches of the Ukraine war serious concerns were expressed of increasing possibilities of escalation to a third world war type situation. Such concerns were also expressed when Netanyahu was trying to ignite a wider conflict with Iran and draw the USA into this. Then followed a short period when such concerns appeared to decrease significantly, but now these are reappearing all too soon and this is a matter of the greatest worry.
Such a situation reminds me of a couplet by the famous Hindi poet Dushyant Kumar. Referring to such situations he wrote that all preparations at the bathing place (ghat) on river bank have been completed. Everyone expected this to mean that preparations to bathe properly have been completed. But Dushyant explained in the next line that all preparations for drowning have been completed!
What is happening in the world is ultimately suicidal as the reverse of what is needed is taking place—greater discord instead of increasing cooperation, break-down of trust instead of strengthening trust, going back on disarmament efforts instead of advancing these further, worsening the environmental crisis instead of taking many more protective steps.
Hence it is of the greatest importance to strengthen people’s efforts all over the world which can keep alive hopes for resolving the survival crisis within a framework of justice, peace and democracy.
Dushyant Kumar also has a message of hope for us. In another poem he writes—When the pain becomes as massive as the Himalayan mountains, the Ganges (Ganga) as a river of hope will emerge from the same mountains.
Bharat Dogra is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Protecting Earth for Children, Planet in Peril, Earth without Borders, A Day in 2071 and Man over Machine—The Path to Peace.
