“No, it wasn’t an accident, I didn’t say that. It was carefully planned, down to the tiniest mechanical and emotional detail. But it was a mistake.” ― John Paxton, On the Beach

Nuclear. It was once a word associated with scientific and technological advancement. Universally acknowledged as ‘relating to the nucleus of an atom/ the energy generated from it’. A synonym of innovation.

But those were happier times. The world has changed, and the word has too.

Today, nuclear is almost always associated with one word: weapon. Seldom do we think about it as a discovery; more as a means of annihilating our world. Destruction, death, warfare, apocalypse – these are most definitely the first words that come to our minds. Why, you ask? Well, being a nuclear weapons aficionado myself, here is your answer.

Nuclear weapons come under WMDs [Weapons of Mass Destruction], a set of the most destructive kinds of weapons that exist.

The first WMD is Biological, which uses biological toxins, and infectious substances, including but not limited to bacteria, fungi and viruses in an attempt to incapacitate human beings. Then there are Chemical weapons, which like their name suggest, use highly harmful chemicals to inflict harm on people. Thirdly there are Radiological weapons, which use radioactive material and implements of radioactivity to conduct mass-murders.

All of these Weapons of Mass Destruction are of course, highly destructive. But, and that’s a resonant ‘but’, nuclear weapons are the alpha and omega, the be-all and end-all of WMDS. Why? Well, it’s simply because nuclear weapons are the most likely to be used. They are the most abundant of the WMDs, and are a universally recognized threat.

Nuclear weapons are formed by two intense chemical processes – fission and fusion. In fission, large atoms like uranium are split into two or more smaller ones, releasing tremendously mind-blowing amounts of nuclear energy. In fusion, two or more lighter atoms are fused to form a larger one, releasing energy 4 times more than that of nuclear fission.

Seeing as to exactly how strong nuclear energy can be, it is, to an ignorant mind, unimaginable to envision the impact such energy can have when used for warfare. But that’s what nuclear weapons are.

Nuclear weapons are becoming more popular by the minute, and are hence slowly becoming a symbol of the superiority of nations. Very few countries currently have nuclear weapons, but still they have been often misused leading to the introduction of nuclear policies, and many more countries are progressing rapidly in nuclear arsenal development.

Nuclear warfare is a growing topic in international councils, conferences and meetings, and the importance of such discussions is being realized in this 21st century of ours. In this series of articles, we shall be discussing the history of nuclear weapons, present-day nuclear weapons; and more importantly, the role they play on the world stage and how they affect international relations. We talk about different countries’ nuclear stance, the politics of nuclear war, and the future of this ominous subject.

I shall conclude by saying that nuclear weapons are a major constituent of the global arms race, as well as the global political agenda. They are definitely not to be taken lightly, because they can literally cause the end of this world as we know it.

Life is good. For now.

Adieu.

 

“This world’s anguish is no different from the love we insist on holding back.” ― Aberijhani, Elemental: The Power of Illuminated Love

Syria. A name you’re bound to have heard flung around in the news somewhere, but many a time, you either don’t get what’s going on, or you don’t want to.

But the fact of the matter is, Syria’s Civil War is a devastatingly sorrowful and serious story. Ignoring it itself is a sin, because it encompasses so many major nations of the world. Being a Syrian Civil War aficionado myself [weird, I know], here is a summary of what really is going on and why it’s not ‘just another dispute.’

So it all begins in 1970, when after several coup d’états and other such political battles, General Hafez-al-Assad seizes power and sets up his authoritarian regime in Damascus, Syria. He rules Syria for many, many years, and in the early 1990s, questions arise as to who his successor would be. A majority wanted his son, Bassel, a confident, charismatic gentleman who they believed would lead Syria out of this harsh rule. However, fate decides otherwise, and Bassel is killed in a car accident. So, Hafez calls his other son Bashar-al-Assad, who was at the time [1994] studying ophthalmology in London, to come to Syria and be his successor. Bashar accepts and Hafez popularises him among the Syrians, and all the while, Bashar is undergoing military training and gearing up to become Syria’s new President.

Hafez dies in 2000 and of course, Bashar is elected President – considering he was, like, the only candidate. Bashar, having experienced the European governmental structure for many years, tries to introduce reforms and makes the people believe that he is changing Syria for the better; making it more modern. However after several arguments and debates including the ‘Damascus Spring’ period, it is decided that Bashar is making false promises, and that he speaks a lot, but does very little. It is the same authoritarian rule of the past.

Fast-forward to 2011, when, after a long wait, a massive uprising takes place all over the Middle-East, titled the Arab Spring protests. These are these uprisings and riots for pro-democracy purposes, aiming to overthrow the dictatorship authoritarian regimes that dominate most of the Middle-East. After overthrowing leaders in Tunisia and Egypt, these protests reach good ol’ Syria, still under Bashar-al-Assad. For a few months, the protests go on with violent outbreaks here and there; until, on 25th April, Bashar ordered the Syrian Army to open fire on hundreds of civilians who protest against his rule. Tons of innocent people are killed in a rash presidential move – maybe one of the worst ever. Approximately 1000 civilians were killed and 1000s more detained.

Soon, some officers defect from the Syrian Army, and along with several Syrian civilians, they form the FSA [Free Syrian Army.]  The FSA is shocked by Assad’s violent moves, and wants to ‘bring this regime down.’ These rebels grow in number and return the fatal favour to President al-Assad, in a series of hypocritical moves where they kill hundreds of Shia Muslims [the Muslim sect from which Assad hails, which he generally favours over the discriminated Sunnis and Kurds.]

Then, the Kurdish sect of Assad’s regime breaks apart, and forms its own rebel group. Now all this while, turmoil has been occurring, with the Rebels and the Kurds fighting against Assad and the Syrian Government, but the Rebels and the Kurds aren’t necessarily friends either.

Soon, the war gets big enough for other countries to get involved, and Iran, being Syria’s biggest ally, finances and sends troops and support to Assad and co. Soon even the mighty Lebanese Hezbollah comes to Assad’s aid. Turkey and Jordan however start giving military support to the FSA Rebels in their war against Assad. So loyalties are being flung everywhere. The Gulf countries [notably Saudi Arabia and UAE] provide lots of money to Turkey and Jordan to help the Rebels, but do not get directly involved in the war.

The Rebels, Kurds, Syrian Government, and their respective allies continue fighting until things escalate and on 21st August, 2013, Assad uses chemical weapons in Damascus, Syria. In a massively inhumane act, several hundreds are killed, and Bashar-al-Assad is targeted by countries around the world for war crimes.

The USA gets involved [they already had before with covert CIA operations] but now, they threaten to start airstrikes against Assad. The question is, why doesn’t the UN [United Nations], the world peacekeeping body, intervene along with the major countries backing them? The answer is Russia and China. The UN Security Council has had several sessions discussing whether to send troops into Syria, but this decision has been vetoed by Russia and China, which have several financial and maritime interests in Syria and hence, are with al-Assad.

Soon out of this mess ensues something big – a major threat to not just that region, but to the world. Al Qaeda, the terrorists responsible for 9/11, has their own branch in Iraq, but over disagreements over Syria, they break away, as do several extremists from the FSA. They then form ISIS [the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria], an Islamic militant jihadist group determined to establish their own Sunni Muslim caliphate, or nation, in Iraq and Syria. ISIS grows swiftly in number and strength, with several influences, and lots of money. They pose a threat to all sides, and are fighting for their own land, their own state. These terrorists behead, slaughter, loot, and several countries are even frightened of them. But ISIS doesn’t attack Assad – instead, it targets the Rebel FSA and the Kurds.

The Pentagon from USA starts training the Rebels, but now it doesn’t focus on Assad, its primary target – instead it focuses on ISIS. This asks the firm question – where do USA’s loyalties lie? Turkey bombs the Kurds, even though they are also against the Assad regime, which poses the same aforementioned question. Russia arrives to help Assad, sending in troops and finance to fight the Rebels and the several other enemies, which puts Russia in an indirect conflict with the USA, who support the Rebels.

This is the Syrian Civil War. It’s been continuing for 4 years now, and doesn’t look like it’s near any end. There’s one word for it – confusing. So many groups, so many alliances, so many conflicts, so many countries, so many people, so many deaths – It is simply a hellhole.

The question is, should Bashar-al-Assad be allowed to continue, since he ruled for 10 whole years without much dissent? Should the Rebels really come to power, since they incorporate so many terrorists and extremists and madmen along with them? There is only one thing for sure – it is a deep, complicated mess – and it has to end. It doesn’t matter who wins, because a whole lot of innocent people are either being killed or are vacating as refugees to other countries, in search of asylum. The more this tragic onslaught continues, the worse our already fragile world becomes.

Adieu.

 

 

 

“Philosophy studies the fundamental nature of existence, of man, and of man’s relationship to existence. … In the realm of cognition, the special sciences are the trees, but philosophy is the soil which makes the forest possible.” – Ayn Rand, Philosophy, Who Needs It (pt.2)

Philosophy – a field of knowledge which many people on this Earth don’t know jack about, very few care about, and a majority think is useless. Philosophy is dying in this modern day technology-driven world of ours. But I fervently hope that the time doesn’t come when we don’t need philosophy anymore: when we take to our devices and forget about our vices.

Philosophy is, if you were wondering, the study of human nature and existence. It’s about how we think, what we think, how we treat others, the systems we use, nature and technology the future of humanity, and life as a whole. It is, in short, the study of the reality of the world.

The question is, why is philosophy dying? Why don’t people practice it anymore? Firstly, philosophy shouldn’t be dying.

This world is different from what it was a century ago. People are more inclined towards science and technology, and that’s a great thing. Scientific advancements are very useful for humanity.  But because of a science-driven world, religion is often targeted. After all, throughout history, we’ve seen that science and religion don’t really get along. And herein lies our problem – many people see philosophy and religion as one and the same, which is incorrect.

Religion is based on what may well be myth – stories from long, long ago, stories that are based on beliefs of a large community, that may not be scientific or logical. Philosophy on the other hand is extremely logical. It addresses the same things as religion, but its manner and basis is different. Then why is it not scientific? Science is specialized, it has an objective, aim and focus – a clear-cut definition. Philosophy is deep. But in its deepness, it is extremely general, as it delves into everything. It is a large-scale perspective of what we are. Philosophy is, in the conventional sense, pervasive. 

Studying philosophy may stray you a bit away from science as it is so non-specific, or maybe stray you away from religion as it is so logical – but I believe it is deeply entangled in both science and religion, which is what makes it so daunting.

We need philosophy as it reflects on the human condition. You may think some time in your life – What is an education really for? Why do we have rules and why do we get punished for breaking them? What is the basis of these rules? Why is good good and evil evil? Why is everything what it is? Philosophy channels a train of complex thought, which is necessary to actually understand what it is that we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and most importantly – what’s going to happen?

To put it simply, science would give you the vast amounts of knowledge. But philosophy would teach you about knowledge itself.

Philosophy reflects on our various political systems of governance,  and also on the nature of art, the different forms of art, and why we like it so much. It talks about moral values -our ethics and integrity, how we behave, how we treat others, our trues intentions, etc. And then it talks about reality and knowledge itself.

Philosophy is the mecca of varying perspectives. Each person has their own opinions, and since this is a world of opinions, philosophy is quite often a long and bloody war. For eg., communism vs. capitalism. But that’s what makes philosophy so fantastic. The conflict of opinion, the analysis: it works your mind like nothing else. That’s pretty much why you shouldn’t let it die.

Life is good. Adieu.

“Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.”  – Brad Paisley.

That tomorrow is now today. The anticipation, the build-up has all ended in a fraction of a second. Happy New Year.

As you sit there in the few minutes after the clock strikes 12, and the 1st of January 2016 awakens, you often look back at the past year and the memories you’ve made – sad or joyous. And then you look ahead and get ready to make new ones.

Along with a new year comes that instinctive urge to change. You know, dissatisfaction with oneself and a desire to be better. And that’s what makes a New Year so great. We receive a huge clean slate, and we can awaken to a fresh start. That’s why a New Year isn’t just another day.

2015’s been a morose yet exciting year for the world as a whole – with some major news events, scientific and historical milestones, some unforgettable entertainment and pop culture [Star Wars, Avengers, Jurassic World!!], literature galore, and a whole lot of political mumbo-jumbo.

Why a morose year, you ask? Well, so many shocking events – Nepal Earthquake, the rise of IS [Islamic State] with the 13/11 Paris Attacks and 12/11 Beirut bombings, Charlie Hebdo shooting, the Greece economic crisis, the massively infamous Syrian Refugee Crisis, Mecca stampede, California shootings, FIFA corruption scandal, and Volkswagen emissions scandal.

Why a great year then, you ask? Well, the UN Sustainable Development Goals for a better future planning to eradicate all humanitarian and social wrongdoings, the Paris Climate Agreement after COP21 conference, the discovery of Kepler 452b and liquid on Mars, Iran Nuclear Weapons Deal, relaxation of China’s one-child policy, and much more.

So it was bittersweet – which year isn’t? The world is getting better and worse at the same time, and I have no doubt 2016 will succeed in showcasing that. It won’t be all good, I guarantee. But don’t be such a pessimist – it won’t be all bad either.

Life is good. Adieu.