• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• Business Line
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

The horrors of the hostilities between Israel and Lebanon daily witnessed on the TV screen leave one benumbed. Both sides are demoniacally targeting civilian populations with all the firepower at their command. The totally unjustified conflict is claiming thousands of innocent lives, largely comprising women and children, and pitilessly razing to the ground whole human habitations. The combatants appear to be banking on an unstated but atrocious assumption that all this will create sufficient hatred and revulsion among the people of each side to force the Government of the other side to desist.

This new doctrine of making pawns of the civilian population in the Machiavellian pursuit of jingoist policies of perverse warlords is dangerous and heartless. The most saddening part of the tragedy being enacted day by day in West Asia is the helplessness of the international community which could not muster the collective will to condemn it in the strongest possible terms. Other than making some inaudible noises, the UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, has remained passively in the background.

It was clear right from the start of the aggression that the US, with a deferential UK in tow, will do nothing more than engaging itself in a flurry of to-ings and fro-ings by some top functionary or the other, while cynically giving time to Israel to work its will on Hezbollah which, in its view, represents the hateful face of Islamic terrorism.

Enjoying every time the tacit or open backing of the US for whatever transgression of international law it commits, Israel has hitherto been getting away, literally, with murder. This time, though, from the look of things, it is face to face with its nemesis and up against an adversary proving to be more than its match. It will be to its good as also of the world if the Iraq-like mess it has got into teaches it a lesson or two on how to be a responsible member of the comity of nations.

B. S. RAGHAVAN

More Stories on : Politics | Terrorism | Impressions

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Reform needs unreserved support

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line