Recently,
a United Nations spokesperson wisely cautioned the global community as follows:
“when weapons speak, civilians pay the price" (https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/03/1006091).
As someone who once lived through an atrocious Civil War, I instantly and
reflexively recognized the authenticity and truism of that pronouncement. And,
I silently wished that all currently hegemony-driven or all currently
squabbling and centrifugally adrift or centrifugally-inclined/motivated
political entities/national communities of the world ought to heed that warning
and learn to resolve their political/geopolitical disputes through dialogue and
compromise, and certainly without recourse to bullets, bombs and missiles.
Today’s
tragic situation in Syria, as lucidly delineated in a news analysis published by TheAtlantic magazine
(https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/04/syria-chemical-weapons/558065/), not only confers
profound validity upon that wise statement from the United Nations but also
eerily turns it into a prophetic pronouncement with epic secular implications.
Be
that as it may, my comments should not be interpreted as an implied endorsement
of either pacifism or a docile submission to oppression. Yes, I do believe that every
human entity (be it an individual human being or a nation state) does have an
inalienable and statutory right to self-defense and does retain a natural and
statutory right to protect vital personal interests, vital national interests, and/or vital
human interests. As a popular adage goes, God helps those who help themselves.
Malcolm X cast an earthly spin on it in terms of his advocacy of self-defense
by any means necessary.
However,
I do disapprove of war-mongering or saber rattling for the sake of it or for
purposes of aggression or hegemonic aspirations. Now, read the afore-mentioned
news analysis from TheAtlantic magazine.
