In October of this year, another tension flared in Eastern Europe as the spectre of a full-scale arms conflict looms between Serbia and Kosovo, both former constituents of Communist Yugoslavia. According to a report by Foreign Policy on October 18, 2023, the Americans held Russian President Vladimir Putin responsible for fuelling this conflict, providing him with a strategic advantage in the Ukraine war by diverting US military support even further.
This corroborates former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's assertion in her talk last month at the Centre of Independent Studies (CIS) that present-day Russia is acting merely as a destructive power, dismantling the global system established by the US for peace and prosperity after the Cold War in 1991.
This renders the situation highly intricate – both in Europe and the Middle East.
On one hand, Putin is supporting the Palestinians against Israel and wooing Muslim states in general. On the other hand, he is allegedly pushing the Serbs against Kosovo, a region with a predominantly Muslim population. Similarly, the Americans stand with Israel against the Palestinians, while in Europe, they are backing Kosovo against Serbia.
The notions of democracy, human rights, and multiculturalism, nurtured by the sole superpower – the US – in an effort to bring peace and harmony, are in serious jeopardy today.
A further element of ambivalence is introduced by the strong positions taken by Western and non-Western think tanks and intellectuals, ostensibly guided by xenophobia. These developments increasingly have the potential to blur the lines between right and wrong, politically correct and incorrect, even between friends and foes.
In a podcast hosted by former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, John Anderson, American military historian Victor Davis Hanson takes a strictly right-wing approach, stating, "I don't perceive any restraint on Israel's part on the horizon at present. There seems to be no consideration for superpower dynamics or nuclear deterrence, and even the prevailing public sentiment in the United States..." This underscores the stark reality that, in the current climate, human rights and the welfare of vulnerable women and children, previously commanding considerable attention, now appear to be receding from the public discourse. Hanson highlights this shift in political correctness, citing Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida's recent statement opposing the reception of refugees from Gaza or the Middle East, a stance that would have been deemed politically incorrect just a month ago.
The far right appears to be taking centre stage both in the West and the Muslim world.
The case against the Palestinians for 'celebrating' the Hamas attacks allows the right-wingers in the West to openly foreground their opinions. It is by all means counterproductive, as the Muslim world experiences an equally volatile discourse – something which, Yasser Arafat understood after 9/11 when he discouraged any signs of joy over the deaths of 3,000 people in America. The outpouring of support for Palestine in the Muslim world and condemnation of Israel are viewed with disdain in the West, justifying the Israeli response in Gaza.
In another episode of the same podcast with John Anderson, British author and political commentator, Douglas Murray, openly criticizes Muslims, Islam, and the pro-Palestine stance of British Muslims. Nearly 30,000 Muslims staged a huge rally on 11th November – Armistice Day, marking the end of the First World War – to voice support for the Palestinian Muslims. Before it happened, Murray remarked with no hidden disdain, calling upon the British right-wing – white Christian population – to stop it by force. Consider a scenario in which making anti-racist remarks in Britain only a year ago, and envision Murray suggesting that the British nationality of all Muslims should be revoked, compelling them to return to their countries of origin.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned the anti-rally protesters who tried to disrupt a peaceful rally expressing their opinions. According to the BBC, "Nine officers were injured and 145 people arrested - the 'vast majority' of whom were counter-protesters." In a decisive move, Sunak dismissed the hardline Home Secretary Suella Braverman – instrumental in placing Sunak in 10 Downing Street – from the cabinet, making it clear that the British political establishment is not ready to entertain any far-right voices or thoughts.
On the other hand, the US diplomatic efforts to prevent the situation from further deteriorating seem to be working effectively in the Middle East. Despite all the pressure, Hezbollah and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank have exercised restraint – avoiding any direct involvement in the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The OIC has sufficed itself with making protests, as always. The Chinese have remained strategically silent on both Gaza and Eastern Europe – as they normally do. The standoff between Serbia and Kosovo is seemingly not escalating further, indicating a diminished Russian influence in that direction.
Given all this, the possibility of things getting out of hands has not subsided. And if it happens, by any stroke of bad luck, it would also mean that when this war ends, the world will have abandoned many ideas considered politically correct before it began.
Perhaps, all the countries involved in these conflicts, directly or indirectly, understand the consequences of any further escalation, and a sense of responsibility prevails – at least for now.
Given all this, the possibility of things getting out of hands has not subsided. And if it happens, by any stroke of bad luck, it would also mean that when this war ends, the world will have abandoned many ideas considered politically correct before it began. It will be a world of a clear divide; non-Western people in the West, particularly Muslims, will have to face the issue of assimilation, which they have hardly bothered with. The world would once again mirror the design that came into effect after the Second World War when people of the same ethnic backgrounds were sent back to their places of origin. It would also mean a total transformation of ideas of political correctness – what is considered right today might not be regarded the same in the aftermath.
The notions of democracy, human rights, and multiculturalism, nurtured by the sole superpower – the US – in an effort to bring peace and harmony, are in serious jeopardy today.