27 September 2013
Sometimes I feel helpless. Actually let me rephrase that,
almost all the time I feel helpless. I can’t change anything happening in the
world and I can’t trust any other institution to follow through on their objectives
and change it for me. And that stings. Most of us believe that as one we may be
powerless but united, we are a force. So if even these international
institutions created for the sole objective of representing are united might
are failing what is left for us to believe in? What is that pinnacle of hope
that promises our brighter tomorrow? Where can I find solace in the senseless
violence that carves out this world?
I don’t know.
As an individual who
is relatively knowledgeable about international political theory, I tried to
understand. We don’t enter the Middle East and try to resolve gender
segregation because we have strategic interests in the oil markets there. We
don’t enter sub-Saharan Africa because there is no stable foundation to work
from and creating one is expensive and dangerous. We don’t seek to alleviate
century old racism in Brazil because they are a raw material hub. It makes
sense. Pure neoliberal, objectifying, cold, calculated sense. I try to tell
myself that, but somewhere along the way it doesn't make sense anymore.
How can we be so heartless as to reduce everything to its
utility? How can we quantify human life and consider ourselves worthy of being
human at all? In other words, how does any strategic interest or risk outweigh
the very existence of our fellow human?
Again, I don’t know.
And again I’m struck helpless.
This is the helplessness I felt this morning.
Now let me tell how it can get worse. Today, as I prepared
for this blog, I came across an article about Indonesia. This country is known
for its war crimes, religious turmoil, sex trafficking, and blatant violation
of every norm and law regarding human rights. Now, as an opportunity that costs
nothing, has no strategic backlash, and could help alleviate the situation
presents its self- the Commonwealth chooses to forgo the opportunity. I cannot
think of any cold and calculated and self-interested reason why! And obviously,
no humane reason exists.
So now, I feel more helpless than ever. As the Commonwealth
hands Indonesia a carte blanche and initiates its summit there to judge other
countries about their human rights violations, I sit here in fury. Now, not
only will Indonesia be given a pardon for the atrocities of the Tamil Tigers and
the president, but the very legitimacy of the organization will be undermined
in international law. For those who wish to see this world burn, I’d say the
Commonwealth just killed two birds with one stone!
It’s disgusting and I just cannot fathom what logic exists
in doing such a thing! So I feel the helplessness seep into my very bones.
BY Priyanka Juneja
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