Monday, October 9, 2017

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE WORLD?

Following current events around the world as they unfold at the moment has become too much like watching two disgruntled neighbours hurdle insults over the fence at each other. Watching the speeches of the North Korean representative to the United Nations and the President of the United States recently isn’t the only case that comes to mind. Whether it is Brexit in Europe, Syria in the Middle East, Qatar and the blockade of it by neighbouring nations – the world seems very stuck. The world seems like it has lost its sense of direction. Whether this comes from competing ideas of what the future should look like or whether it comes from a lack of consideration of what to do about various muddles the world seems to have found itself in – I want to ask an interesting question. Does the current muddling represent a trend, and if so – what is causing it and how can the world move on from it.

It seems like just yesterday the world was in a very different state. We had a revolution in the Middle East to talk about with interest and optimism. We had this interest in what Europe was going to make of itself. A powerhouse of neo-liberal making, engineering peace and engineering a green economy. But with the Greek banking crisis, a chain of events seemed to unfold. Some might say that Brexit could be seen as all about identity. But really a concern for where the wealth is going and more importantly whether it might disappear has grown out of a zero-sum global economy. One could say that neo-liberalism has failed. I think that is an interesting thing to consider reflecting on how the prospect of war has been normalized because the reward of keeping the peace doesn’t entail a flurry of commerce and the trickling in of wealth. Instead those things can be assured with or without the looming prospect of war, the blockade and the exit. The idea that trade entails peace is growing cold because the rewards of peace are no longer present in the plenty. Well's run dry. 

Yesterday seemed like a very different time. Even when I was abroad watching world events – it didn’t seem chaotic to the extreme it does now. One could reflect on an event and draw a conclusion about what might happen next. What was to be learned from this occurrence was to me at the time a worthwhile question to ask. But as the world falls into a state of disrepair. As the world goes from one extreme to the next and makes me very glad I live in one of the far-flung corners of it, I can’t help but wonder whether the world is waiting to be renewed. Whether something is missing like the oil to keep the engine going and the next chapter on the horizon. Whether it comes down to who is President of the United States seems interesting to consider with a focus on giants of peace in Europe (and elsewhere) doing the job that was often done by the leader of the free world. I guess my question comes without an easy answer. But does that make it any less worth asking: What is going on here world?