Europe started two world wars, but can play most important role in preventing third one

By Bharat Dogra

Europe started the first two world wars and played a key role in them, even though the extensive distress caused by them spilled over, directly and indirectly, to the greater part of the world. Now Europe can more than make up for this by playing perhaps the most important role in preventing the third one.

This is not to say that at present Europe is already playing this role, or is well on the road for this. Far from this. However the potential clearly exists, and it is for the forces of peace in Europe to realize this potential.

In fact during the recent past in 2022-23 Europe has come as close as ever before to again becoming the starting point or the central point of another world war as high risks of the Ukraine conflict escalating into a wider war involving Russia and the USA/NATO directly on two sides were widely discussed. Fortunately this did not happen but the danger has not entirely gone away yet. Other flash-points for the third world war starting may be in the USA-China struggle for dominance with perhaps Taiwan being used as a proxy. The middle-east with its numerous tension points may also become a flash-point for a wider conflict one day.

Unlike the first two world wars which were prolonged affairs, the third world war may end very soon after starting if weapons of mass destruction including nuclear weapons are used, but within these few days such massive destruction may be caused as to dwarf the destruction caused by previous wars and in fact the basic life nurturing conditions of life may be endangered or threatened badly.

Hence clearly the biggest priority of the world just now is to avoid all possibilities of another world war or a nuclear weapons war involving the biggest military powers.

Actually no sensible persons or leader wants such a destructive war if other options of achieving dominance or other strategic objectives are available. However when the biggest priority is to ensure dominance or related strategic objectives, then such conditions may be created that lead to such a destructive war without anyone really wanting this.

Given the highest priority of avoiding another world war and a nuclear war, it is evidently very important to consider all possibilities for this and to examine which forces or countries or leaders can play the most important role in this.

One important consideration in this context is whether Europe will merely play the role of following the US foreign and strategic policy or whether it will try to play such an independent and assertive role as is likely to take the world towards peace.

In recent times Europe has merely followed the role envisaged for it as a follower or junior partner by the increasingly aggressive policy-makers in the USA. Senior leaders of Europe like the French President have themselves compared this to a vassal-like role. This has brought Europe in 2022-23 closer to the possibilities of another world war as a result of the possibility of the Ukraine conflict becoming a wider conflict, with Europe again being at the center of it. Of course no one in Europe wants this, but this may under conditions be the ultimate result of playing a vassal like role to a very aggressive super-power.

So it is both in the interests of Europe and world peace that Europe and its leaders should instead play a more independent and assertive role by striving to unitedly, gently but persistently trying to take USA away from a very aggressive policy towards a policy of peace.

Here the special position of Europe is that due to historical and cultural factors Europe is best in a position to influence the USA policy makers for moving towards peace. This can be said in the context of leader-level contacts and relations but this can be said even more in the context if relations and contacts at the level of people.

Keeping in view the growing hostility towards several needlessly aggressive aspects if US policies, if Europe does not support such aspects the tendency of the USA to go ahead with such policies may be much weaker.

Hence Europe must show much greater determination in standing up for peace, and explore all possibilities of also nudging, moving and pushing the USA policy makers toward peace.

In addition the peace movements and activists of Europe should become more united among themselves for making greater impact, and in addition must establish wider unity and commonality with peace movements and activists in the USA with the aim of strengthening the possibilities of world peace in general and avoiding the possibilities of a third word war in particular.

---

The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include "Planet in Peril", "Protecting Earth for Children" and "A Day in 2071"

Comments

Plastic burning in homes threatens food, water and air across Global South: Study

By Jag Jivan In a groundbreaking study spanning 26 countries across the Global South , researchers have uncovered the widespread and concerning practice of households burning plastic waste as a fuel for cooking, heating, and other domestic needs. The research, published in Nature Communications , reveals that this hazardous method of managing both waste and energy poverty is driven by systemic failures in municipal services and the unaffordability of clean alternatives, posing severe risks to human health and the environment.

Economic superpower’s social failure? Inequality, malnutrition and crisis of India's democracy

By Vikas Meshram India may be celebrated as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, but a closer look at who benefits from that growth tells a starkly different story. The recently released World Inequality Report 2026 lays bare a country sharply divided by wealth, privilege and power. According to the report, nearly 65 percent of India’s total wealth is owned by the richest 10 percent of its population, while the bottom half of the country controls barely 6.4 percent. The top one percent—around 14 million people—holds more than 40 percent, the highest concentration since 1961. Meanwhile, the female labour force participation rate is a dismal 15.7 percent.

The greatest threat to our food system: The aggressive push for GM crops

By Bharat Dogra Thanks to the courageous resistance of several leading scientists who continue to speak the truth despite increasing pressures from the powerful GM crop and GM food lobby , the many-sided and in some contexts irreversible environmental and health impacts of GM foods and crops, as well as the highly disruptive effects of this technology on farmers, are widely known today.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

UP tribal woman human rights defender Sokalo released on bail

By A Representative After almost five months in jail, Adivasi human rights defender and forest worker Sokalo Gond has been finally released on bail.Despite being granted bail on October 4, technical and procedural issues kept Sokalo behind bars until November 1. The Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) and the All India Union of Forest Working People (AIUFWP), which are backing Sokalo, called it a "major victory." Sokalo's release follows the earlier releases of Kismatiya and Sukhdev Gond in September. "All three forest workers and human rights defenders were illegally incarcerated under false charges, in what is the State's way of punishing those who are active in their fight for the proper implementation of the Forest Rights Act (2006)", said a CJP statement.

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

Jayanthi Natarajan "never stood by tribals' rights" in MNC Vedanta's move to mine Niyamigiri Hills in Odisha

By A Representative The Odisha Chapter of the Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD), which played a vital role in the struggle for the enactment of historic Forest Rights Act, 2006 has blamed former Union environment minister Jaynaynthi Natarjan for failing to play any vital role to defend the tribals' rights in the forest areas during her tenure under the former UPA government. Countering her recent statement that she rejected environmental clearance to Vendanta, the top UK-based NMC, despite tremendous pressure from her colleagues in Cabinet and huge criticism from industry, and the claim that her decision was “upheld by the Supreme Court”, the CSD said this is simply not true, and actually she "disrespected" FRA.

Stands 'exposed': Cavalier attitude towards rushed construction of Char Dham project

By Bharat Dogra* The nation heaved a big sigh of relief when the 41 workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel (Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand) were finally rescued on November 28 after a 17-day rescue effort. All those involved in the rescue effort deserve a big thanks of the entire country. The government deserves appreciation for providing all-round support.

'Restructuring' Sahitya Akademi: Is the ‘Gujarat model’ reaching Delhi?

By Prakash N. Shah* A fortnight and a few days have slipped past that grim event. It was as if the wedding preparations were complete and the groom’s face was about to be unveiled behind the ceremonial tinsel. At 3 PM on December 18, a press conference was poised to announce the Sahitya Akademi Awards .

Search This Blog