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This is not the time to beat the drums of war. Nor is it the time to confuse patriotism with retribution. What the world urgently needs is a renewed commitment to peace, writes Syed Mohammad Arfatur Rahaman

IN THE early hours of 7 May 2025, South Asia was once again shaken by a violent escalation. According to reports from Reuters, an Indian military strike on Pakistani territory claimed the lives of more than 26 people. The Pakistani government confirmed the attack and, in swift retaliation, launched a counterstrike on Indian soil in the morning, reportedly killing at least eight. Independent coverage by the BBC and Al Jazeera confirms that both countries exchanged missile fire, raising fears of reigniting one of the world’s most volatile rivalries — one that exists under the shadow of nuclear weapons.

India and Pakistan’s fraught relationship has been shaped by wars, militant attacks and an enduring atmosphere of hostility. Their animosity is deeply historical, rooted in partition and sustained by nationalism, political opportunism and unresolved territorial disputes. With each flare-up of violence, the region is brought to the brink once more, and the world is left holding its breath. The possibility of escalation in such a context is not only dangerous, it is catastrophic.

Yet South Asia is not alone in its anguish. A chain of conflicts now stretches across continents, many of them interlinked in ways that go beyond geography. The violence we are witnessing today spans borders and ideologies. It claims not only soldiers but civilians, particularly women and children. The 21st century was meant to be the age of progress and peace. Instead, we appear to be retracing the darkest paths of the previous century.

In the Middle East, the ongoing war between Israel and Palestine has reached unprecedented levels of devastation. The Gaza Strip, already one of the most densely populated and impoverished regions in the world, is now almost entirely unliveable. Thousands are being killed every month. Civilian casualties — especially among women and children — continue to mount. Hospitals have been bombed. Humanitarian corridors remain blocked. Violations of international law are now routine, not exception. In Yemen, the conflict between Houthi forces and the Saudi-led coalition drags on with no political solution in sight. Meanwhile, Syria remains caught in limbo, destabilised by years of war and with no clear path forward under Bashar al-Assad’s weakening rule.

Eastern Europe offers little respite. The war between Russia and Ukraine continues, locked in a punishing cycle of violence. Each attempt at diplomacy is met with renewed hostilities. Millions of people have been displaced. Entire towns and cities have been reduced to rubble. The war has not only destabilised Ukraine but has fractured the idea of European unity, fuelling the return of divisive, fear-based politics across the continent.

The human cost is staggering — but so too is the economic burden. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, global military spending increased by 9.4 per cent in 2024, reaching an all-time high of $2.718 trillion. This figure reflects more than financial priorities. It reflects the world’s failure to invest in peace. At a time when communities need schools, hospitals, clean water and climate resilience, resources are instead being diverted to war machines.

Simultaneously, the global economy is teetering under pressure. Inflation persists. Supply chains are fractured. Countries are retreating into economic protectionism. The United States has leaned into tariff-based diplomacy, imposing trade restrictions that have provoked retaliatory measures, particularly from China. Some nations are attempting negotiation. Others have turned to punitive trade policies. The result is a further unravelling of global economic stability. Prices soar. Jobs disappear. Uncertainty deepens.

Yet perhaps the most unsettling dimension of our current global condition is not political or economic, it is social. War is no longer only fought on battlefields. It has entered our digital lives, turned into a performance. Social media platforms, once a space for activism and dialogue, are now flooded with videos of missile strikes and bombings, shared and commented on as though they were part of a video game. Users debate which side ‘won’ the exchange, as if they were discussing sport rather than the loss of human life. Behind every strike, every so-called ‘surgical operation,’ are human beings. Mothers, fathers, students, children, people with lives, names and dreams. Their suffering, however, is being flattened into content for consumption.

This is not just a crisis of geopolitics. It is a crisis of conscience. We must ask: what kind of people are we becoming? Is our empathy shrinking under the weight of relentless violence and polarised narratives? Are we so numbed to suffering that revenge feels more gratifying than reconciliation? Has pride overtaken our sense of justice and morality?

This is not the time to beat the drums of war. Nor is it the time to confuse patriotism with retribution. What the world urgently needs is a renewed commitment to peace. Leaders must prioritise dialogue over dominance. Citizens must reject narratives that pit one people against another. In an interconnected world, the effects of war are never isolated. They spill across borders, not only through refugee crises or economic disruptions but through cultural fragmentation and emotional exhaustion.

If we are truly concerned about the future, we must begin with a refusal to normalise war. That means calling out aggression — whoever commits it — and standing up for the dignity of every human life, regardless of nationality. It means recognising that peace is not weakness and empathy is not naivety. It means advocating for media coverage that humanises rather than sensationalises, and for policies that value cooperation over conquest.

There are no victors in modern warfare. Only survivors, many of whom carry invisible wounds. If we are to honour our shared humanity, we must move beyond the instinct to retaliate and work towards justice that does not demand blood. We need leaders with moral courage, but more than that, we need people with conscience. The future depends on it.

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Syed Mohammad Arfatur Rahaman is a research associate at the iDEA Foundation