World’s defenceless people now hostages to armed powers

Democracy and human rights are interrelated. A review of the 300-year history of democracy in the world reveals that, having passed through various stages, democracy has taken an institutional form in several countries. Nation-states have been established through movements and struggles against colonial rule. The main objective of these countries has also been the establishment of democracy and human rights. Human rights are a widely discussed topic around the world. Sadly, human rights are also one of the most frequently violated issues globally. Human rights are the combined form of two words: human and rights. Simply put, the rights of humans are human rights. When people do not receive their due rights, it is considered a violation of human rights. And that is when there is an outcry across the world.

The issue of human rights violations is discussed at various times globally. Why people are deprived of their rightful entitlements is an age-old question. Since the last decade, military tensions between superpowers have been increasing worldwide. Especially with the war in Ukraine, Western countries have practically engaged in a direct conflict with Russia. Amid ongoing tensions across Europe, the Gaza war that began last year has significantly heightened the risk of global conflict. Now, another war is knocking at the door, one that could reshape the entire map of the world. The Middle East appears to be a symbol of instability. Tensions have newly escalated with the Iran-Israel conflict. Although a full-scale ground war has not yet broken out, the aerial retaliatory attacks, threats, and diplomatic warfare between the two sides have already shaken the global political, economic, and security landscape. In this whirlpool of conflict, the world seems to be walking on a precarious narrow bridge. The Iran-Israel enmity is long-standing.

Recently, it has reached a new height. Israel’s aggression in Gaza and the active involvement of Iran’s allies, Hezbollah and the Houthi rebels, have given this conflict a multidimensional shape. The impact of this tension is not limited to the Middle East. On one hand, oil prices are soaring; on the other, uncertainty is spreading across global stock markets. The memory of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war and the resulting "oil embargo" that shook the world economy is returning to investors' minds. Countries like Bangladesh, whose economies are heavily dependent on international markets and remittance income, are also feeling the heat of this conflict. If tensions rise further in the Middle East, there could be a major blow to the security of migrant workers, remittance flows, and fuel imports.

At the same time, the rising price of international raw materials is fuelling concerns about increasing inflation in the country. In this situation, the failure of the United Nations and other international peace efforts appears evident. The United States’ veto policy in the Security Council, the helpless statements of the UN Secretary-General, and Israel’s blatant disregard for international law are clear examples of the collapse of the international system. Those who chant the loudest slogans about democracy and human rights are the ones condoning Israel’s human rights violations. This is a brutal reality. However, the most terrifying aspect is that this war is no longer confined to state boundaries. It is spreading into people’s hearts. Young people in the Muslim world are seething with anger, anti-Muslim hatred is resurging in Western countries, and both antisemitism and Islamophobia have increased anew. As a result, the war is not just a battle on the field; it is also becoming a social and psychological war.

What is needed at this moment is a neutral diplomatic effort to resolve the conflict, a realistic platform for discussion, and a kind of international pressure on both sides to refrain from violence. It is not just Iran or Israel that is burning in this fire; the whole world is. And if this fire is not controlled, the fear of a third world war may turn into reality. Not only Middle Eastern politics, but our future security is also linked to the Iran-Israel war. Therefore, the international community should not pour fuel on this fire but take initiatives to extinguish it. Though Israel’s military operations in Gaza and counterattacks targeting Iran are conducted under the umbrella of ‘national security’, discomfort is gradually building within Israel itself.

The images of thousands of children and civilians killed in war-torn Gaza have raised questions in the minds of Israeli youths: are we truly ensuring security, or merely taking revenge? Those who dream of peaceful coexistence in the alleys of Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem are now annoyed, frightened, and saddened by their government’s war policies. Some are protesting, while others remain silent out of fear. It is as if this is a world of ‘mute opinions’, where thoughts are strangled and voices silenced under police surveillance. On the other hand, the situation inside Iran is no less complex. The war rhetoric of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the war hysteria of the Supreme Leader may dominate state propaganda, but the reality is that a large portion of the country’s youth, middle class, and educated population do not want war. Crushed under economic sanctions, weary from inflation, and devastated by religious oppression, for this group, war means another blow. The role of the international community here is also questionable.

Western nations are, on one hand, calling for an end to the war, while on the other hand, continuing to sell arms to Israel. Some are imposing new sanctions on Iran in attempts to control the oil market. This duplicity and strategic silencing in the name of world peace are prolonging the war and muting the voice of the people. Alongside this, a war-mongering, occupying state is speaking in the language of victory, while the people speak through the tears of loss. War today is not just a military operation; it has become a deep elegy in the consciousness of the citizens of both countries. On the sixth day of the war, US President Trump hastily left the G7 meeting and boarded a plane. Standing at the aircraft’s door, he arrogantly declared, "A fate like that of Iraq’s President Saddam Hussein awaits Iranian leader Ayatollah Khamenei. We know Khamenei’s location. But we will not kill him yet. Something even newer than war is going to happen next."

We know arrogance hastens the downfall of man. The statement made by President Trump does not seem normal. It reflects an abnormal mindset, which even Americans themselves are not taking well. They did not want such a belligerent president. It seems he has become stuck while trying to walk on a narrow bridge. He never gives importance to people’s suffering, death, or grief—this is proof of that. As the Iran-Israel conflict gradually moves towards a terrifying nuclear war, it is essential to give importance to this voice of grief. The Iran-Israel war may change strategic positions, may alter the balance of geopolitics, but what people in both countries have lost and will continue to lose—children, livelihood, peace, and dreams—will remain as an indelible sorrow, even if unspoken. So, this voice of sorrow is in fact the last refuge of humanity.

Now the only question is: who will move these war-mongers and occupiers off the fragile narrow bridge they are rushing toward death upon? Will they listen to anyone, or will the drums of war keep beating endlessly? To preserve human civilisation, to build a humane society, state, and world, there is no alternative to ending war for the sake of creative thinking and a better future. War creates negative impacts among people, awakens consumerism, occupation, and extreme self-centred thinking. As a result, people get involved in conflict, violence, murder, and killing, heading towards the creation of an inhumane society. This is not desirable in any way. It has become essential to save the world from this global horror of war. To escape this horror, imperialist powers must comply with all ceasefire conditions and stop all kinds of arms production. To sustain and expand their arms trade, the imperialist powers have kept wars burning in various ways both within and across countries.

If the world’s superpowers were to reduce their military spending for just one year, the amount saved could guarantee food and education for all the people of the world. The present world needs no more weapons, but humanitarian strength, values, and moral education. Human rights now face a major challenge. The true establishment and preservation of human rights will only be possible when it is derived from a genuine perspective and philosophy concerning humanity. In Palestine, people have been brutally attacked by Israel’s aggression. One by one, more gruesome reports of destruction are emerging. The Russia-Ukraine war is already troubling the world. Now the Iran-Israel war has been added to it.

In recent times, war has made the world restless. War means the ultimate violation of human rights. Innocent civilians are being killed indiscriminately. Where life does not exist, what value do human rights hold? And all of this is part of the strange diplomacy of the world’s superpowers. A different kind of commercial activity by arms traders. A bizarre, ongoing game of global domination. All around, humanity is silently weeping; but there is no one to hear or to see. The innocent, defenceless people of the world are now hostages to tyrannical, exploitative, and armed powers.

In fact, those who have the capacity to speak up for the rights of the innocent around the world are not stepping forward to establish people’s fundamental rights, which is why the conflict does not end. At the same time, powerful and ruling elites must awaken to the need for protecting human rights to build a discrimination-free, peaceful world free of exploitation—there is no alternative.

Rayhan Ahmed Tapader: Researcher and columnist