The Thing with Power

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(If the goal is not in sight, For mere desire I'd settle,

If a glimpse is too much to ask, For mere longing I'd settle)

- Faiz Ahmad Faiz

It is not an unintended consequence of unfortunate situations that we see evil thrive so easily in this world. It is by design. It is by plans; put in motion by those who look down from the seats of power and see numbers instead of people. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.? They see anarchy as a tool of ascension, instead of an immoral evil. Because to them, there is no immorality in the corridors of power.?

This seems especially true in contemporary times,? when apartheids continue in 4K and we see them happening before our eyes. But is it even worth being called an apartheid or genocide or is this a product of exaggeration by the media in its chase to grab attention from an increasingly ADHD-riddled generation? It depends on who you ask from and? in what context. Ask a Palestinian and they will recount stories of deaths which will probably make Orwellian dystopia sound like a utopia. But ask a Ukranian, and they will have their problems to share instead of the Middle Eastern affairs. The average American is unlikely to know where either is located on the map. They are too busy worrying about their own set of problems. But it’s not their fault. They are also the victims of the power structure that controls all. It is unrelenting, vicious, cruel, and worse of all, calculated. What is happening in Gaza, is neither new nor surprising. Thousands have died and the bodies keep piling up every day, including those of children. Yet, the response of Western powers against these atrocities by Israeli forces has been lukewarm at best and complacent at worst. Why do they do this? Doesn’t it go against their values and principles? The answer is quite simple. Power!

“In the element of statecraft, morality takes a backseat.”

- Asad Durrani (Ex-ISI Chief)

The current U.S. President once said while defending Israel that if it didn’t exist in the Middle East, they would have had to invent one. It doesn’t matter what Israel does to the Palestinians or Jordanians or anyone else for that matter. Israel can carpet bomb and murder every last Palestinian tomorrow and the most United States will do is request Israel, behind closed doors, to put it mildly, “cool it”. It is too important of an ally for the United States. It does the dirty work that even the US cannot be seen doing in the region.(1) Whether it is to “preemptively” strike nuclear targets by violating the sovereignty of Iran or securing the oil interests of the US in the region, Israel will happily do it all as long as the US continues to supply its military and political support. It can even be argued that Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations comes into play here as none of the other states in the region can share the Judeo-Christian values of the US and Israel.(2) ?

So the question remains, what about the Universal Charters and End-of-history theories that were propped up during the latter half of the 20th century? Are some people lesser than others? From a realistic point of view, there is no equality in International Relations. There never was any, to begin with. The human nature is anarchic and our history bears testament to it. Nation-states, universal charters, and bilateral agreements are merely tools to lower the possibility of anarchy. Our civilization hasn’t reached the apex that we strive towards. It may sound gloomy but it's better to be informed of the human condition than to deny it completely.?

The best way to examine who gets to be equal in the eyes of the powers that be is to look at States as people and see which states have similar interests. Ukraine is being persecuted by the mighty and evil Russian military might because it wants to align with the West and increase the fold of Western domination. Israel has the right to defend itself from the lethal rocks of Palestinian children because it serves the interests of the West in the region. Everything becomes black and white in Unipolarity.?

Then what do we do if we find ourselves on the wrong side of the border of interests? In the short run, not much. Just ride the tide and pray you survive. The tragic state of Palestinians should serve as an example. But not all is doom and gloom. Power is not gained overnight. Just less than two centuries ago, China was being bullied by the mighty British Empire and was not even recognized until the Iron Curtain fell. Today it is a force that is directly competing with the mighty American empire. This is no small feat. India which has long been considered a poor third-world country just overtook their former colonial masters to become the fifth-largest economy in the world. This all goes to show that change is just as much a human condition as anarchy.

Gaining power requires, planning, patience, and persistence. All the great powers of the day followed the 3 Ps. It is only after a state has gained power that it can afford to demand equality. And that brings us to the age-old saying, “History is written by the Victors”. Demanding fairness in the international arena is a luxury only the powerful can afford. No doubt this is a cruel statement, but in the words of Carl Sagen, “It is better to accept an uncomfortable truth than believe a comforting fable”.?

We are the creators of our problems. The anarchy that exists everywhere is of our own making. Combatting it may take longer than we would like to believe. But all is not lost. To fix a problem, the first step is to recognize it. And once it is understood that all “actors” function for individual gains, we can interpret and perhaps even understand their motives more clearly. Human history is filled with examples of state actors coming together to address the everchanging issue of power imbalance that exists in the world. The League of Nations, Treaty of Westphalia, United Nations, and many other endeavors are just a few examples of powerful actors coming together to address this very power imbalance that pits states against each other. The dream of creating a universal utopia is yet to be achieved.?

Mass and social media, while giving new tools to powerful state actors, have diluted public opinion. People are less likely to stay ignorant about state atrocities now. With so much documentation of human suffering on display every day, it has become harder for states to justify atrocities. The Pro-Palestine protests, that have swept the globe have made it extremely difficult for even the U.S. to continue backing its long-term ally. So maybe things are not that bad. I wonder whether new technologies will increase state control over the public narrative or loosen up control of “Big Brother”. Only time will tell.

(1) See Z Beauchamp, ‘Vox’, (Why the US has the most pro-Israel foreign policy in the world, 24 July, 2014) <https://www.vox.com/2014/7/24/5929705/us-israel-friends> accessed 01 May, 2024.

(2) See MM Naravane, ‘The Print’, (Clash of Civilizations’ theory being put to test today.See Israel-Iran Conflict, 29 April, 2024) <https://theprint.in/opinion/clash-of-civilizations-theory-being-put-to-test-today-see-iran-israel-conflict/2060792/> accessed 01 May, 2024