January 9, 2025
I was thinking about the new year wishes for the last few days, but finally I decided to write them while admitting that there are wishes which cannot be accommodated in a blog piece. Also, some of the wishes might sound idealist. I, however, believe that without doses of idealism human life would no longer be called human life.
As I come from the academic background of conflict resolution and international relations, my first wish is to see tangible peace at the global level, particularly in conflict hotspots such as Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Palestine and Syria. The war of almost three years in Ukraine has made the conflict hardened with each party sticking to their positions. I wish better sense prevails and Russia and Ukraine come to the negotiating table. The war of the past months have brought nothing but death and destruction. I can make sense of the argument that international politics is not black and white, there are issues of geopolitics, power rivalry, areas of influence, resources, clash of political ideologies which are involved in this conflict, but diplomats from both sides should come forward to address the current stalemate. Russia and Ukraine are and will remain neighbors, nothing can change this fact – despite all bitterness they have to coexist. A long-range perspective is needed from both the countries, and international powers must nudge them to move to a negotiated resolution.
As I have argued elsewhere the October 7 attack was not helpful for Hamas to achieve any of its goals. Hamas now is almost decimated, and Israel too suffered losses. Obviously in protracted conflicts as in the case of Israel-Palestine in which religious identities, historical animosities, and past wars are involved, it is difficult to find a solution that is absolutely satisfactory to both the parties. Also, in such cases it is difficult to draw moral equivalency while judging the pain and suffering of the parties. The willingness to collaborate and coexist must come from within the leaders of both the parties. Israel and Hamas committing to a ceasefire, which is mostly successful in the case of Israel and Hezbollah, would go a long way in the peace process. I hope the ongoing talks between both parties produce some positive results. To me, every human being has dignity, and no precious lives should be lost – it is Kantian thinking that every individual has dignity and self-worth, hence must not be subject to exploitation and humiliation. It would be a great success for all the parties to see that a ceasefire is achieved. While writing this, I am now thinking about President Jimmy Carter, who recently passed away. Carter played a positive role to bring leaders of Israel and Egypt to Camp David to develop understanding and peace in the region. I hope the players would revive this spirit of Carter to strike a peace deal. It would be a great tribute to the departed leader, who championed global peace and human rights.
Syria has witnessed a power vacuum after the overthrow of Assad in almost a bloodless march by the rebels. It was a kind of surprise that the Assad regime which survived the Arab Spring and rode through civil war could at the end collapse like a house of cards. True, the end of Assad was the end of dictatorship and torture chambers in Syria. It also ended or at least curtailed significantly the influence of Russia and Iran in the region, thus bringing more influence to the US and its allies. But at present, it is difficult to say how the country will fare in the coming days. Will it fall back to chaos with power struggle going on between rebel factions, or will there be a coalition government based on mutual trust and collaboration, or will Syria be a ground in which regional powers like Turkey, Iran and other players will fight their wars? The Kurdish issue will play out significantly in the coming days. Also, it will be important to see how the minorities in the country are accommodated in the new power arrangement in Damascus. I wish things go well, international powers under the leadership of the US and UN collaborate, and ensure there is a smooth transition to normalcy in the region. Syria already witnessed the loss of more than a half million lives due to the civil war, and peace is long overdue to the war-torn nation.
As I talk about international conflict and peace, terrorism comes to mind. The recent terror attack in New Orleans shows that the terrorist forces such as Islamic State are not dead. The attacker had an ISIS flag in his truck. While the initial notion was that the attacker was an illegal immigrant, it was later revealed that he was a US born citizen and army veteran. Certainly, social media played a major role in radicalizing people, particularly those who are vulnerable, those undergoing depression or exploring new meanings of life. It is well documented how ISIS in its heydays recruited people through social media. I believe that though law and order certainly play a role to checkmate violent activities, such complex issues need further attention by the local people, by the neighbors of a potential terrorist. Certainly, an individual does not become a terrorist in a day; he or she undergoes a long psychological process, and it is important to address that process. I wish society as a whole focus more on revitalization and address such issues even before they take a concrete shape.
I also wish the new year sees international collaboration and some robust regulation of AI. Artificial intelligence has the potential to address many of human predicaments, but at the same time it has stymied many creative human potentials. I wish in the new year we have robust national and international regulation of AI.
I wish the new year witnesses the evolution of middle ground in politics, facilitating bipartisan policies. It behoves well for a vibrant democracy that the middle ground is cultivated. As I have argued elsewhere, the US founding father James Madison emphasized this middle ground, and his insight helped him sail through the difficult years of making and ratifying of the US constitution. It is commonly agreed that the middle ground has shrunk worldwide and for which it is difficult to blame a person or one factor, rather I believe we as a whole society have our responsibility in this regard. I wish the new year sees mutual understanding and collaboration.
I wish the current leaders of major nations focus more on the substance of policy than on making popular pronouncements. In the majoritarian democracy (in fact democracy is majoritarian as whichever party/leader gets majority runs political office. That is why thinkers like Plato and Aristotle had a distaste for democracy), the leaders often play to the gallery and make populist statements and policies so that their election to political office is ensured. I wish in the new year democratic countries take substantive steps to cultivate middle ground and genuinely factor the voice of the people (it is famously said – voice of the people is the voice of God).
At the individual level, I have this wish for the new year – that every individual on the planet earth pledges to themselves to rise to a higher consciousness. Yogi Sri Aurobindo writes in his epic poem, Savitri, “His vast design accepts a puny start,” implying in the progressive evolution of human civilization, a small start or pledge to be a better person bears value. As many of us make promises to ourselves, to our family or society in the new year, I think it is a right occasion to pledge oneself to be their better selves by cultivating divine within.
