Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Where are we Heading?

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Where are we Heading?

As we turn on the media, unfortunately, we often hear dreadful words such as poverty crisis, corruption, opium, environmental degradation, war, mass destructive weapons, lack of trust, and loss of social cohesion and no sense of being in the same boat. And the opposite trend, which seems unrelated, but actually is closely linked, is that we see between word powers on the planet an increasing competition over influence. In fact, we are at the times that competition meets the areas of fragility in such a way that we see conflicts that are local, national, regional and global at the same time connected between these trends. Among these many issues, the status of Afghanistan is turning out be to in the heart of newly global conflicts while our bewildered leaders are lacking a clear outlook or policy to the future.
The primary factor behind some of the world's most destructive trends is the huge increase in the human population while there are not any global collective measures to control. This has placed giant demands on all aspects of our planet's ecology. While the rate of population increase has slowed down, the numbers of people being added per year remains near record levels at about 80 million people a year.  In other words we are adding a nation the size of Iran to the world's population every year, and all trends show that this will go on out into the future and probably rise. Predictions still show that we are facing the arrival of billions of new residents in the next fifty years with almost all of these people populating the parts of the world which can least afford the presence of more people.
Overall, the current global crises indicate that world is going to unknown destiny. Humanitarian values have been abolished; Justice for all is just a motto; the gap between the richest 20% and poorest 20% of the world is at its highest level in history and yet growing. Today the world's 500 richest families have more money than the bottom 50% of people on the earth!! Life and death are determined by money.  At the moment, the number of people being slaughtered by poverty is considered to be "regrettable" but certainly politically tolerable by world leaders. Five million Africans were recently wiped out in the bloodiest war in postwar African history and thousands are killed on daily basis but the world cannot do anything. It is very likely that majority of the people annihilate in a nuclear war if they do not unite for a fair collective solution.
This also shows that current world "order" especially the human rights system has failed to protect humanity. The best way to protect human rights is to make the system work and show the people how to participate in a responsible, non-violent manner in their democracies. Human rights can only exist, as Gandhi said, when people assume human responsibilities. The mindless defense of human rights in isolation will only lead to more gridlock, paralysis, and disorder. We can find way out of the crisis if we believe that every human, regardless of any consideration, deserves to live a good life.
The conditions of people in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other war-torn countries can, well, explain the issue.15 years has passed in Afghanistan but the outcome of foreign counterterrorism efforts turning out to be in conflict with the slogans justified their presence. There are a lot of rumours, almost on daily basis, which boost scepticism as to the intention of the super power in the war on terror. The United State has stayed in Afghanistan under the pretext of the war on terrorism longer than anywhere else in the world, even to the extent that Afghan war is America’s longest war in its history, yet the results are against the mottos based on which the US justifies its presence in Afghanistan. The US-led NATO coalition also acknowledges their failure. A spokesperson of the NATO’s Resolute Support Mission (RSM) in Afghanistan has recently said there are currently 13 active global terror groups in Afghanistan, while Al-Qaeda was the only foreign terrorist group operating here prior to NATO presence, and also the level of poppy cultivation during the Taliban regime cannot be compared with today. 
The chief of National Directorate of Security (NDS) -- Afghanistan’s intelligence agency – has also admitted that foreign fighters have increased in the country. Only the counting of foreign fighters is not the responsibility of NATO forces and NDS. According to security pacts Afghanistan has inked with NATO and US, decimating the terror groups is their shared duty. Afghans agreed to forge security cooperation with NATO and America because of the threat of these very terrorist outfits, thus if their presence cannot extricate and protect Afghan people from the evil of terrorism, there is no any other benefit for the sake of which Afghans can sacrifice their good relations with the regional powers. 
Taking into account the deteriorating security situation, people should understand that peace and prosperity are not just happened nor is it ordained by divine right. It can only take place where a significant critical mass of a nation's people is willing to take the time to serve as citizens to govern themselves. It is important that all the people of the world try to participate in a nonviolent constructive manner to gain justice for all. Alternatively, given the lessons of history, the super powers must know that no one is powerful against power of God. Backing to history, the blood of innocent hungry children, widowed and orphans can destroy the House of Pharaohs. Those who do not remember the past are likely to repeat its mistakes in the future. 

Mohammad Zahir Akbari is the newly emerging writer of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan. He can be reached at mohammadzahirakbari@ gmail.com

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