By
Sattar Rind
The second phase of the Cold War started on September 30, 2015 when Vladimir Putin gave his speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The first Cold War ended with the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. It was political and military but at the same time an indirect war between two superpowers. Although the war had never been fought between both superpowers it still gripped the world in its fear that if war had accidently broken out between the two, then it would result in nothing but a total destruction of the world.
To quote Albert Einstein in response to such a question: “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”
After the fall of the former USSR, the single superpower of the world’s then president George Bush Sr had announced a ‘New World Order’ and that the world will be run according to it, though the main purpose of this was not clear when it had been announced.
Soon however the world begun to observe its consequences with the plan to attack Iraq without moral justification. Saddam Hussein had informed the then lady ambassador of the US in Iraq that he was planning to attack Kuwait and requested her to get confirmation from Washington of what the US reaction would be in this regard.
She replied after getting confirmation from Washington that it would be considered purely a local issue and that the US had nothing to do with it. This is what she had accepted herself in a later interview with the American media.
Meanwhile, on the other side of East Europe the ex-communist countries had begun to fight one another on ethnic and racial grounds, in addition to that of border issues; the Czechoslovakian and Albanian Muslim genocides being a glaring example.
Before the declaration of the ‘New World Order’ a US state employee Francis Fukuyama wrote an essay that claimed history had finished. In his view, it was a war of two ideas between Hegel and Marx. When one ideology failed and another won therefore, ideological war was over, hence history had been stopped from moving further.
It was not however conceivable that history could be stopped, as whatever is/was going on will be called after a period of time, ‘history’. But it was not an end to the confusion which was more disturbing to an already disturbed world.
Again another US Professor Samuel Huntington announced that from now on there would be ‘Clashes of Civilizations‘ (instead of an ideology).
Both intellectuals had certainly given thought to the idea that “the Mujahideen would later turn out to be militants” and their ideology that they could again rise above a seemingly impossible mission; it being the Mujahideen who had forced Soviet troops to retreat from Afghanistan.
They definitely forgot the fact that there were Stinger missiles, petrol and drug dollars that changed the scenario of the Afghanistan war. Many believe that it was also fortunate for them that Gorbachev was president of the USSR, who had already planned to withdraw from Afghanistan and to break the USSR.
Thus the Mujahideen and their ideologues began warming to the idea that they could conquer the world and successfully implement Islamic ideology or at least be able to design an Islamic block against any superpower.
This may be odd to those not witness to this phenomenon, but Islamic theorists considered it very seriously, and still began to organise the Mujahideen accordingly. This time they targeted the US and European countries.
The majority of militants who are only followers are naive in the sense that they know nothing about world games, but at the same time their warlords were the most powerful, rich and cunning. They knew and know very much that a coin has two sides and either side should go in their favour, that of the dollars and what their masters are wishing to get from this inhumane war.
It is therefore believed that a group from Al-Qaeda were organised by the then Crown Prince and ex-chief of the Saudi Arabian intelligence agency during the time of the late King Abdullah, the militant group organised purely on Al-Saud family traits and nature.
Fighting with their tribal enemies in the Arabian Desert along with Abd al-Wahhab, the ideologue of Wahhabism in the early seventeen century, the brutality of ISIS had been inherited from Al-Saud – the forefather of existing rulers of Saudi Arabia. Since this time they have been against Iran and Shiite Muslims all around the world. All militants are therefore still against the Shiites more than any other.
Bill Clinton’s tenure as president of the United States was a relatively less aggressive period in every sense. However when George Bush Jr become president, he left no chance in extending the chaotic culture all over the world.
After attacking Afghanistan in response to 9/11, Bush and his cabinet soon began to spread propaganda, levelling false allegations against Saddam Hussein that he was holding Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). This led to the US attacking Iraq and ultimately hanging Hussein by obtaining a decision from a judge and a so called court’s decision.
Since the attack on Iraq almost 5 million people were killed and no single WMD had ever been found there. Later, George Bush Jr accepted that he had got revenge on Saddam Hussein as he allegedly tried to kill his father, Bush Sr.
Barack Obama though attempted to reduce the United States’ aggression but a few plans of Bush Jr remained and continued to destroy the ongoing Arab government system in the Middle East, in particular the toppling and killing of Colonel Gaddafi.
In doing so they deliberately destroyed the established government, creating a space to be filled by the militants. It is also believed that the US gave training and weapons to militants to fight Gaddafi’s secure government.
What Russian president Vladimir Putin pointed out in his speech in UNGA that: ‘’It is now obvious that the power vacuum created in some countries of the Middle East and North Africa through the emergence of anarchy areas, which immediately started to be filled with extremists and terrorists.’’
Exactly the same had been done to the peace loving people of the Muslim world. They were considering such practices by the US as one of the worst results of unilateral world power.
Therefore when Vladimir Putin announced that he will not allow the United States, NATO and their allies to remove the legitimate Syrian government, the people, especially those of the Muslim world who were trapped on both sides, felt a great relief.
The Muslim who was liberal but living close to the West was considered a potential threat, whereas in their own countries being a liberal was a great sin and at the same time considered an agent of the West.
Either way, being a liberal or agent of the West, they were in all probability going to be killed. This meant that they were facing a double torture and were forcefully living in unbearable fear, due to the fact that they were neither an agent nor able to accept Muslim irrationality. Above all they were never thought to be a potential threat to the West.
Thus when Russia decided to return via a disconnected role on the international scene, it was welcomed by many who measured it as a long awaited breakthrough.
The Russian President in his historical speech at UNGA, and later through statements and diplomatic channels, also invited the US to send a high level delegation to discuss the situation in Syria, but the White House ignored Putin’s offer.
Rather, White House spokesman Josh Earnest used taunting and insulting language stating that the “request (had) fallen on deaf ears.’’
This is a very insane statement, as they are not seemingly ready to understand what they are doing with the world. Everyone knows that ISIS was a specially created force for their own personal vested interest. Saudi Arabia is a financial supporter of ISIS and weapons were provided by the US.
Many were even claiming that so called Syrian rebellions fighting against the Syrian government had received training from Israeli commandos and were fighting alongside ISIS.
Even today there are reports that the ISIS militants escaping from Syria are being giving refuge in Oman, Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, though many ISIS culprits it is believed are heading towards Mosul in Iraq.
While everyone knows that the British and US army and their fighter planes were provided to fight ISIS a number of months ago, then how is that ISIS members are confidently going back to Mosul and other Iraqi areas which are not yet in their control? Why are the British and US army not attacking them en route to Mosul?
It is now very obvious that ISIS, the Taliban and Al-Qaeda will also be used against Russia in the Middle East, Afghanistan, South East and Central Asia, one way or another.
The US President has already extended the time period of the US and NATO Army occupation in Afghanistan. On the second day of this announcement, the Russian President stated that he will deploy 80,000 Russian Army troops around the Afghanistan border in Tajikistan, as he has demonstrated a fear that terrorists from Afghanistan may slip into Central Asian countries and ultimately become a threat to Russian interests. Despite this, it is still not known what the US will do in this respect.
The United States may take action as a result, but it is beyond doubt a new Cold War has started and that the world will be divided into two groups. Despite this there will be no ideological War between the two superpowers but that of principle values which will be defined by each according to their own interests. But it could not be ignored that another voice will always be there to be heard lest it fall “on deaf ears.”
