The Calculus of Miscalculated Human Misery

The Calculus of Miscalculated Human Misery By				brows recently about the moral fiber of the ongoing
BrigGen(ret)Muhammad Aslam Khan Niazi Warlike aims				wars. Condoleezza Rice at least did not mince words
and activities corrupt the mentality of man. Intelligent,				once she required of her vast diplomatic corps
objective human thinking is suspected and				abroad to sell US policies rather than apprising her
persecuted as unpatriotic. -- Albert Einstein Myopia				with matter of fact appreciation of ground situation
grips the world. Interfaith harmony, already a scant				to much chagrin of Mr. Bush and Co. Generally Muslims
virtue among the divine religions is fast eroding.				assume to have the margin to vent their anger
Muslims pointing guns at Christians and Jews under				through 'jihad' because they perceive themselves as
the banner of 'jihad', Christians and Jews setting				the only direct victims whose strategic assets and
some of their precision munitions and deadly war				the territories are under occupation. Iranian leadership
machines to churn through Muslim torsos, scoring less				is even bitterer and places pivot of all evils on Israel,
on 'jihadis' but more on innocent people being lodged				calling for its obliteration from the face of the earth.
in the graves, tag-marked "terrorists". Several regions				It is only another way to express no tolerance for
are in turmoil with ominous threats lurking on horizon				Israel, while her neighbors harbor historic grudge,
of each country in one form or another. The planet				though some of them are pretending 'peace' with
assumed to be safe in a century that is characterized				her? Concomitantly the worlds are bent upon
seemingly by knowledge and rapid communication, is				dictating to Iran and not redress its decades long
no longer safe. Human misery prevails in several				miseries it has floundered through. Freezing of its
apparitions. As if, as if it was not enough. Pope				assets by USA, laying Caspian stranglehold on it since
Benedict XVI, for mysterious reasons opted to read				1996 in the wake of clamping 'Iran and Libya
out derogatory remarks against Islam from a				Sanctions Act' persistent threat of regime change
medieval text that delivered the strongest blow ever				and economic sanctions have not helped fostering
by as wise a person as the pontiff himself. Muslims				'peace' even by a jot in the Middle East. When
backlash is obviously understandable but at this				transparency and symmetry in international relations
moment of fragile harmony, there was margin to				is made a flexible commodity to apply with
grant the Pope a second breath to retract his				exceptions, then the volcano of conflicts is bound to
statement if he chose to do so. The logic is simple. If				erupt. As a consequence another conflict is brewing
I, as a practicing Muslim only know that my religion				up in Middle East in an immediate scenario. Mr. Bush
ordains me never to chastise Jesus or Moses,				appears to suffer from chronic power intoxication to
profanation from that high a pontiff's platform should				believe that he could wash his Iraq-sins with
have been admitted with caution to allow him an				Iran-bashing. Such moves can be termed anything but
opportunity to recant a confusion that would have				a vibrant diplomacy. Hawks in his team are already
lent an added beauty and grace to an act worthy of				looking over the shoulders to desert him, if not the
Islam and Holy Prophet, peace be upon him.				people will throw them out anyway. Palestine,
Resultantly, as a failure to do so, diatribe against each				Kashmir, Chechnya, Nagorno-Karabakh, Xingjian,
other is picking up volume and pugnacity, leading to				Abkhazia, Dagestan, South Ossetia, Transdaneister
violence that compounds the miseries of the people				and Kurd Territories remain the bed-rock of instability
only. Intellectual honesty stands corrupted. Majority				for last several decades in the given perceived
of intellectuals present tainted views with bias and				priorities that have the potentials to turn malignant.
grudge and those; free of such malice like Noam				The present elected Hamas government has no
Chomsky, are spontaneously dumped as traitors. A				appeal for Israel and hence obviously not even for
Christian dare not utter a word against 'Christian'				the West to negotiate with. Diplomacy has been left
interests and Muslims feel obliged to abet the efforts				to mourn the sight of such festering wounds. Jews
of faith fellows. The clash of civilizations has well				justify reaching for liquidating even a minor threat
unfolded but the Western world constantly				with hammer because it is a question of their survival.
repudiates the claim. Some eminent scholars have				Israel's Lebanon tomfoolery will remain perhaps the
given identity crowns to the civilizations; Catholics led				worst blow that has boomeranged on it nationally as
by USA, orthodox Christians by Russia; Sino by China,				well internationally. Of late Preemption Doctrine has
Hindu by India and Islamic civilization having none				been stamped unfortunately as the moral right of the
though Iran, Turkey, Pakistan or Indonesia could				'giants' in the international arena even if it means
make hard contestants. The splintered status of				trampling over other sovereign states. Ironically,
Islamic civilization which the West arduously worked				despite the courageous UN Secretary Generals'
for in the late 19th century and the beginning of 20th				efforts who appears to be safe guarding UNO
century by demolishing Ottoman Empire and				prestige, not without perils, the 'bigs' want to take it
liquidating caliphate has in fact emerged as a pain in				for the ride. His, sort of a farewell address, on 20
the neck of all civilizations posing fledgling hydra				September 2006 in the General Assembly was
headed counter to the threats posed to Muslims.				nothing less than an epitaph that the current mode
Historic fix is deeply ingrained in the Western psyche				of global geo-strategy might force to erect at a
that Muslims when united shall trample the world. If				place(UN) in the vicinity of existing 'ground-zero', not
the Western civilizations, generally taking unified stand				by Usama-bin Laden this time but by the powers
on global issues; particularly in the context of Muslim				that owe responsibility to the mankind. Where
regions, are finding it hard to subdue resistance in				physical occupation has not befallen on third world
Afghanistan and Iraq despite their remarkable level of				countries, comprising largely Muslim population, these
scientific and technological superiority; how could a				have been coerced into compliance with the coalition
backward Muslim world, even combined, pose a				agenda even if they are authoritarian inwardly,
threat of such a large dimension that others would				tyrannizing the innocent people within their own
dread its (caliphate) evolution. Sadly enough, some				territories. The champions of war on terrorism have
well intentioned organizations working for Muslims				contrived flexible ethics to let authoritarians
unity to start with have been termed as 'terrorists'				perpetuate tyranny. Any of them not falling in the line
though 'centrality' character of Islamic civilization				is expeditiously branded as 'totalitarian' state and
would have helped all, more so the Christians to				stands high on the risk of reprisal by the free world
initiate purposeful dialogue. 21st Century has seen a				through several kinds of machinations. Incidentally, the
paradigm shift. 'Invincibility' character of some				authoritarian heads of the states are the most trust
outreaching powers; regional or global, has fast fallen				worthy lieutenants of the powers that claim respect
in shreds. The recent conflicts bear the evidence. In				for human rights, free expression, religious freedom
the meantime a sympathy virus called 'Osama' is				and just system of governance, what the West calls
infecting 1.5 billion Muslims and also considerable				it 'democracy'. The consequences of such politics of
number of non-Muslims with a varied severity,				'likes' and 'dislikes' are far reaching for Middle East;
including those that George W Bush, at the moment				South Asia and Eurasian Balkan, internal turmoil and
would not place them in the list of Islamofascists; a				sitting over powder keg-like situation of some
term he impulsively contrived to aggravate the				collaborating states notwithstanding. Shrewd and
persisting deep schism among the civilizations--in fact				frank voices always emerge but these are
between Christianity and Islam. One understands that				smothered under the clatter of 'responsibility' hoax.
world in general and American people in particular				Transatlantic relationship is showing visible strains. The
dismiss his barb in the same manner as they rejected				European actors like Britain, France, Germany, Italy
his jibes like 'Armageddon' and 'crusades' The losses				and Russia (non-NATO) are prone to increasing
of 9/11 tragedy , still a mystery, have been put on				tendency of pursuing independent approach to the
the balance scale that could not be tipped by even				world's cataclysmic issues. Public fever in US, Britain
larger number of counter human losses; which the				and some other coalition countries is hitting their
precision weapons are heaping the world over.				leader's popularity. Their corrupt and the fallacious
Certainly there will remain always tremendous space				international relations have generated so much moral
for more horrific events on the other side of 9/11 on				stress within their own parties that a large number of
the balance that would yet not reach the satiety				the legislators are now inclined to revolt. The world
mark to heal deep cleft of the inflicted wound. The				stands 'bewildered' with passing of each day.
West is inclined to wipe out all 'terrorists' but is not				Humanity's chance of peaceful coexistence is getting
prepared to even discuss the root causes. Public				remote despite churning out ghastly 'concepts' and
opinion stands muzzled, as the Muslims perceive, by				'doctrines'; purportedly perceived by the most able of
roaring electronic media of Jewish brand that is				the think tanks. The prospects and hope of liberation
happily flashing killings; demolition and devastation as if				and reconstruction of the devastated regions is yet a
these were means to restore peace and resolve				far cry. Gitmo, Abugharib, CIA's secret cells and
conflicts. A common man is spellbound at the short				clipping the civil liberties in contravention to the court
memory of the imperial powers. Vietnam venture,				ruling are some of the litmus tests that prove the
launched on illusory premises of communist's				hollowness of the sincerity; governments ought to
expansionism and posing threat to free world, later				owe to their public. Human Right organizations loud
proved that such assertions were plain concoction. In				protests fall on the deaf ears. If anything is
the same connotation, Iraq and Afghanistan,				sustaining, that is the uncertainty, despair,
whatever the claimed American 'responsibility' based				devastation and destruction of the innocent people
on Truman Doctrine; would be recorded in the history				from both side of the divide. When would the people
as gross military misadventures along with mix of				misery end? Perhaps never, except for the dead
several other overt and covert ones, not in too				who have seen already the end of it. Rule on 'O
distant past. As a matter of immense solace, the				Misery'; thy honor has the most prolific destiny.
people have come to see clearly the tragic				Thanks to the 'hubris' of the victors by claim but to
dichotomy in the propounded values-coated pretexts				avert ugly conflagrations, there may still be a chance.
of war on terror and the hidden agenda to lynch the				Tough decision making is need of the hour, the
'enemy', crafted with great sophistication. Even				decisions that would stand the grind of truth, justice
not-so-often-talking Mr. Powell has raised his eye				and transparency.

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The Calculus of Miscalculated Human Misery