By Dr. Sawraj Singh
The world is very close to a disastrous Third World War. The American attack on Syria could have easily triggered such war if Russia did not show the restraint. One thing is very clear that Russia has an edge in both the conventional and the nuclear weapons. Similarly, the American response in Korea can push the world to such a war and only China’s restraint so far has prevented the outbreak of a very dangerous confrontation there. Just like Russia’s advantage in the military field, China has a clear cut advantage over America in the economic field. Moreover, China has an overall advantage in the military strength in the region. Why Russia and China showed the restraint which America and the other western countries do not show? This is precisely the result of what I call the Eastern wisdom. For the western countries, the military option is decided by simple equation of the military power. The side which has more military power can attack the side with less military power. The western response still remains primarily linear and unilateral. The Eastern wisdom teaches us that the response should be based upon multilateral and multidimensional thinking. The Eastern wisdom has two major components which evolved in the Euro- Asian region. Russia represents the European, the Eastern Orthodox Christianity. China represents the traditional Asian component. Both of these promote values like restraint, moderation, patience, tolerance and humility. I consider Sri Guru Granth Sahib the Zenith of the Eastern spirituality and wisdom and these values are advocated as universal human values in Sri Guru Granth Sahib. The biggest irony at present is that India which gave these values to the world has been almost completely marginalized from playing any significant role in the global affairs. This is because India is heavily tilted towards western consumerism and has lost its balance. The alliance between Russia and China is not only a political or military alliance but is also a philosophical alliance. India gave the philosophy of Relativism and Pluralism to the world. Restraint, moderation, patience, tolerance and humility are the products of this philosophy. However, India today, seems more inclined towards western Absolutism which is promoting exactly the opposite values such as extravagance, impatience and arrogance. If India can revive its traditional friendship with Russia then it can complete the missing link in the Eastern alliance. India’s role in the world affairs, particularly in the prevention of the Third World War which has been marginalized, can be restored. When Russia, China and India unite, peace and harmony in the world can be better promoted and preserved and the chances of preventing a Third World War tremendously improve. This is in the best interest of the people of the world as well as the Indian people. The transition from the western dominated unipolar world to a multipolar world can be smooth. This is a more natural role for India. It is also more compatible with India’s historical and philosophical evolution.
Dr. Sawraj Singh, MD F.I.C.S. is the Chairman of the Washington State Network for Human Rights and Chairman of the Central Washington Coalition for Social Justice. He can be reached at [email protected].
