US President Trump has repeated history dating back to 1990, when Manuel Noriega was captured by US forces after the invasion of Panama.
This time, it is Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela and his wife who have been kidnapped from their palace in Caracas. Apparently, the oil bonanza was the prime factor behind such a grave action by US forces. There is no denying the fact that imperialism is on the march. Imperialism has been the hallmark of history. The Monroe Doctrine has been replaced with the Donroe Doctrine.
All great games have revolved around the occupation and reoccupation of resources by great empires. If history is any guide, one must admit that it is circular. The clash of thoughts is rising to the level of street protests against intrigues in palaces. People are branding such capturing of leaders as kidnapping for ransom at the international level. The empire is on the move. The rise and fall of great empires has been the great lesson of history. Nothing is permanent but change. Time and tide wait for none.
The age of Artificial Intelligence is rapidly revolutionising old tactics used for seizing power. National and international politics are taking strides in the shadow of neo-colonialism. The neo-cons are marching in the corridors of power. What about the youngsters? It will be interesting to see how tech-loaded bright young people and the old interact in the arena of war and the battle of thoughts. The values of democracy, human rights, freedom, equality, equity, justice and fair play are under serious attack.
The sovereignty of states is at stake. The defenders of universal values are advancing the cause of imperialism. Generation Next may prove to be the only steel wall against all such aggressions. They are the last bastion against all odds, committed to upholding the universal values enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. That is the Last Ark.
The war theatre today is shaped by jingoism, which may lead to a new world disorder. There has always been the stupidity of leaders that has led to wars. The multipolar world will take shape after much distraction and disturbance. The earlier two world wars were also fought because of the stupidity of leaders at the time. The underlying causes were imperial rivalries, militarism and totalitarian regimes. The world is again confronted with such causes of dwarf thought. Fighting is inevitable, whether in the field of global alleys or on the frontiers of international borders. There is no escape.
The world is in a quandary, as the leadership of all the world’s most powerful centres is in the hands of old people. The old guards are in the race, fiercely fighting to occupy their own hemispheres. The limits of law are no longer there to stop them. This may be the beginning of the Third World War. But the fact remains that the youth are against such adventures. The so-called new generations, Meta Gen Z and AI-backed Alpha, are eager to shape the future of the world. The course of history, although circular, will be determined by these youngsters, not by the pristine thoughts of old leaders. Let history take its course.
The new generation is not a prisoner of old thoughts and they are not fond of wars. They are liberal in action and thought. They want more climate action for a prosperous world. Gen Z and Gen Alpha view world wars with detachment due to their distance from past conflicts. They are more concerned about climate change, digital transformation, and Artificial Intelligence than with newer conflicts in the great-power game. The digital age has transformed the new generation and their priorities. It has also limited youngsters’ thought processes, making them more concerned with social media information about past conflicts rather than reality as it unfolds. AI, robotics, chatbots, climate change and COPs are more important topics of discussion for Gen Z than conflicts in America, Russia, Europe and China.
The old are still preoccupied with conflicts over undue favours and disfavour, while Gen Z and Gen Alpha are more concerned with digital transformation, media campaigns and economic priorities. Security may be one of the most important concerns of the young generation, but they do not want to expand or prolong it to the next Beta generation, as they want a more peaceful, prosperous world. They are more concerned with cybersecurity issues and with algorithms to protect data. They are least connected to old narratives of wars, especially world wars. Their understanding of human conflict is also limited. They are least concerned about global security issues, as they want more applications of AI-powered chatbots in business premises and restaurant corridors.
The protests and causes of protest among Gen Z differ across countries, ranging from inequality and injustice to corruption, democratic backsliding, and authoritarianism. The majority of Gen Z and Alpha do not like military service, as they see the military as a bastion of conservative values, soon to be replaced by robotic military cadres in place of humans. They want a secure life and economic prosperity in the digital age, rather than traditional wars and leaders’ old ideas that set out to disturb their peaceful lives. They think that the raiders of the lost ark are groping in the dark for a darker future.
Unlike the old versus new generation gap, the political world is changing at its own pace. The world map is changing fast, as President Trump is bent on embracing imperialism. EU leaders are less emphatic on the issues of Venezuela and Greenland due to their compulsion to seek US support against Russia in the Ukraine war. International law and values are no longer respected by the powerful, especially the US under Trump, which is no longer inclined to respect such a value system. Power has its own dynamics, as philosophers like Bertrand Russell have argued. The powerful will follow the course set by the US president in the coming days and months.
What sort of new world order under the Donroe Doctrine will emerge in the near future is yet to be seen. There are numerous challenges, as military might and economic diplomacy put the world’s supply chain at risk. China may be balancing the world, as it possesses a near-monopoly over design, processing, and semiconductors crucial to emerging technologies. Rare earth minerals are a game-changer alongside the digital transformation of currencies, including cryptocurrency. The world is facing expansionist policies under the Trump administration, with significant implications for the next generation due to conflicts among the US, the EU, Russia and China.
Economy, humanity, universal values and world peace are on the brink. The world needs to listen to Gen Z and Gen Alpha with patience to save its future from the wrath of another possible world war. The best option is still to follow international law and the UN Charter rather than deviate from universal principles of sovereignty, equality and justice. The world cannot afford to be subjugated through the forceful occupation of resources by military means. Military interventions are the worst form of human tragedy and must be stopped.
The writer is a former additional secretary and can be reached at: [email protected]
