Dear Editor,
While there is much talk nowadays, and justifiable so, about issues of national, regional and even hemispheric importance, a much bigger danger issue fraught with ominous, and disastrous consequences is looming menacingly over mankind’s existence. It is a spectre of death and destruction. It is a Third World War in which nuclear missiles may be introduced. Not since the Cuban missile crisis, has such a strong possibility emerged for the outbreak of a Third World War. But this situation is far more dangerous at this time. The firing of American and British manufactured long range missiles deep into Russian territory in defense of Ukraine, and the immediate missile response by Russia on Ukraine signaled an inescapable reality that humanity is edging closer and closer to a situation nobody in their proper senses wants.
This development in military terms, marks a significant escalation of a war in our world that is drifting steadily, but hopefully not, towards a nuclear conflagration. The next three months, characterized by the transition of one administration to another in the United States will determine whether the fate of all human kind hangs in the balance. If the US, UK and NATO’s combined war against Russia escalates further, and with Russia’s announcement of its readiness by lowering its nuclear deterrence doctrine in order to respond appropriately, as it looks like it will, that war may, hopefully not, see the use of nuclear weapons that potentially, will plunge the world unavoidably into a war never experienced before in mankind’s history.
Such a war will wipe out all that humanity has achieved over decades or seeking to achieve futuristically in the fight against climate change, for the eradication of poverty, improvements in public health and education. All of humanity’s scientific, literary and cultural achievements will be shattered; while electoral politics and territorial integrity and national sovereignty disputes will potentially take a back seat because of the unspeakable human and material devastation the world would have experienced. The United Nations could become a relic of the past since its ‘PACT FOR THE FUTURE’ would have failed to anticipate this dangerous phase of the Russian-Ukraine war.
A Third World War with use of nuclear weapons will put paid to working peoples’ daily struggles by for bread and social justice. All of that would have ended and the televised destruction of life and death that we currently witness in Gaza and Beirut would be multiplied a hundredfold, only this time, it will be on a global scale. It is necessary to emphasize that the use of highly sophisticated, and possibly, nuclear missiles in war, puts the whole of humanity’s existence at risk. It is not a matter that should be ignored as it seems to be from reading the local daily newspapers and listening to the local regular podcasters.
From all indications, an escalation of the combined NATO, US and UK missile attacks on Russia and the looming danger of an outright war of frightening proportions is either intentionally overlooked or ignored by political parties, non-state actors and to a large extent by mainstream media as ‘a European phenomenon’ on the ground that it has nothing to do with us and that we have our own priorities. I disagree with this conclusion and remain convinced that with the further escalation of the Russian-Ukraine war we will drift inexorably towards a world crisis and potentially towards a nuclear war. Hopefully, better sense will prevail that we will not, and diplomacy aimed at a peaceful settlement of the dispute will be in the driver’s seat.
Sadly, the thinking that we who live in this part of the world will not be affected should a nuclear war break out between Russia and western powers is as if we are living in a fool’s paradise. How can we not be concerned when the US and UK chose to become directly involved by attacking Russia for the first time with long range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and UK manufactured Storm Shadow long range missiles to defend Ukraine and when Russia responds with its attack on Ukraine using for the first time, long range hypersonic conventional missiles?
The good news is, the missile fired by Russia was not a nuclear weapon as was anticipated by those who had calculated that Russia would make a nuclear first strike, instead, the Russians responded with a conventional non-nuclear missile the first of its kind ever to be launched. The objective was to keep missile strikes by one against the other at the conventional level. It is left to be seen whether it will be kept that way while the war on the battle field continues inexorably in Russia’s favour.
Sincerely,
Clement J. Rohee
Former Minister of Minister of
Foreign Affairs