Whether in Syria, Bosnia, Kashmir, or Palestine, people are dying in millions. Series of sufferings, lynchings, and shootings are a routine course of action in these countries. The major powers, in pursuit of their grand designs, keep on nipping the weaker nations by killing thousands of innocents.
Arial bombardments are modus operandi tools in pursuit of required objectives. Neo-imperialistic policies from the US and Russia -supervising wars for their very own interests- against all odds are gradually becoming chief state policies.
The United Nations (UN), while witnessing these wretched situations, is centering the short and long-term development goals, thereby parting this world a functioning and conterminous ground for major powers to carry their lethal plays. The UN is withering away when it comes to measuring its mandate and influence within the realm of international security.
Ironically, UN was established to ensure and preserve peace, globally. However, when insights of all wars are assessed, UN -from the very beginning- barely found its role to evade and culminate wars. The Korean War spanning three years ended when the parties decided to end it. Similarly, the longest Vietnam War ended when the US decided to pull out of the country. The Arab-Israel War and other Middle Eastern wars met their end with the diffusing interests of warring parties. Cumulatively, the UN could not influence those wars to bring peace but performed meagerly to resolve nominal conflicts with no desirable implications in favour of peace.
International security and peace was the primary agenda when the League of Nations was proposed. After its failure and losing millions of lives in the Second World War, the formulation of the UN was proposed to avert the scourge of war. However, instead of averting wars and savings lives, UN performed considerably in other domains.
Kashmir being a nuclear flashpoint in the heart of South Asia is a perpetual hanging sword that may potentially lead to nuclear catastrophe. The Kashmir dispute is pending before the UN and has not been addressed since the last seven decades. In the same way, the Palestine dispute linked with the entire Middle East is seething since decades, and stability is oscillating in the region, once again; UN could not spot itself anywhere.
UN acquiesced Trump’s declaration of moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a move that consternated the whole world. A mere statement condemning this act by the most powerful organization was not adequate to foil such a plan. Consequently, the US attempted to materialise this declaration in the face of severe resistance from Palestinians. The height of resistance can be gauged from the circulated picture of a crippled Palestinian boy throwing a stone towards Israeli forces; to his fortune, he later took a bullet and was martyred.
Israeli forces continued their barbaric treatment and slayed more than 60 Palestinians causing severe injuries to hundreds. From its very inception, Israel has always disrespected human rights and set on to kill and torture Palestinians but never forestalled on any front. Absurdly, the ceremony marking the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem included Ivanka Trump. As she attended with a content smile, Israeli forces only a few kilometers away were maiming Palestinian demonstrators.
Unfortunately, UN -reiterating the past- opted to circumvent the situation as has been successfully done in the case of Kashmir, Syria and Bosnia. In the security arena, UN was never seen wielding its influence, power and mandate, or playing any substantial role to resolve the conflicts in time against the will of warring parties.
Israeli forces continued their barbaric treatment and slayed more than 60 Palestinians causing severe injuries to hundreds. From its very inception, Israel has always disrespected human rights and set on to kill and torture Palestinians but never forestalled on any front
Muslim countries with more than 50seats in UN are also maintainan appalling silence. The Muslim world seems genuinely divided, not only along sectarian lines, but also by worldviews, governance structures, cultural affinities, and particularly their geopolitical interests. Moreover, the muted response of Muslim states within UN and outside is more shocking. After usual condemnations of the brutal massacre of Palestinians, many Arab states wontedly turn their focus on countering Iranian influence in the region rather than on backing the Palestinians. Cold Muslim hearts must be denounced while condemning the US and Israel.
Undeniably, the UN is successfully carrying other developments projects across the world. However, this is abysmally needed when the primary desire and need of the people is to live, and to live in peace. Collectively, if the UN, with such a heavy mandate, fails to formulate and execute anti-war policies, its own survival would be at stake.
The writer is an Islamabad based lawyer. He can be reached at [email protected].
He tweets @alibaberali
Published in Daily Times, June 6th 2018.