A too dangerous conflagration

As if Ukraine war was not enough to destroy the global peace and hamper economy, the crisis in Middle East, starting with Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, last year, plunged the world into a greater ring of danger. What initially started as a surprise attack from Gaza, and then a reprisal, far outweighing what could be termed as a fitting response in terms of intensity, from Israel, has now spawned into a million different directions.

With the Israel's offensive against Hizbollah, killing its top leadership, there is now no stopping the escalation in military confrontation. Iran's fresh attack on Israel has brought the region face to face with a wider war. As the commentators who know the region and follow the crisis put it, Israel is now expected to respond too heavily against Iran. What does that exactly mean, can be left to the military strategists and the experts in the filed.

What is disturbing for the people living in any corner of the world, more so those in the proximity of the impact, is that the chances for any negotiations have dimmed almost to total blackout. The contesting sides seem to have come to a stage where unless one of the two feels that its capacity to retaliate has completely sapped, the escalation is hard to stop. Further, the chances of the region, Mid East, plunging into deeper military contestation, and multiple destabilisations at the level of regimes, have enhanced. What is also very disappointing is the diminishing influence of the UN, its allied institutions, and the global leadership.

It looks like there are no institutions left that could contain this violent confrontation, and put a restraint on the contesting sides. The high ideals of global peace and human rights, now seem to be a thing of past. God forbid, if it all goes out of hand, it can result in unimaginable human suffering. We have already many peoples in different Middle East countries that have left their homes, or whose dwellings have been raised to ground. If more bombings happen at multiple places, the scale of devastation and displacement can only be imagined.