Humanity is staring into the Abyss.
WARNING! SOME READERS MAY FIND THIS HEAVY DOSE OF REALISM DISTURBING.
I just watched a video on YouTube showing the devastating effects of multiple thermobaric bombs being dropped on Ukraine. These bombs are designed to suck the oxygen out of the air, creating a huge blast wave for maximum destruction and loss of life.
If you can bring yourself to watch it, you can see for yourself that these are no ordinary bombs. They are in fact a hybrid – more devastating than conventional, yet not quite a tactical nuclear weapon either… but they can’t be far off by the looks of things.
If you can bring yourself to watch it, you can see for yourself that these are no ordinary bombs.
Regardless, it’s a disturbing hellscape of a vision that leaves one in no doubt about the ferocity of this conflict, one that has so far cost tens of thousands of lives, both military and civilian. With no end to the conflict in sight, the financial cost to Ukraine is already running into the hundreds of billions of dollars and it can’t be long now before it will be measured in the trillions.
Europe also faces a refugee crisis as millions of Ukrainians flee their country, with neighbouring Hungary declaring a state of emergency as a result.
Meanwhile the rest of the world is beginning to feel a different kind of devastation — inflation.
The head of the World Bank has warned that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could cause a global recession as the price of food, energy and fertiliser soar, with The Economist warning of a coming global ‘food catastrophe’. The Governor of the Bank of England goes even further stating that the current crisis could become ‘apocalyptic’ — rare language indeed for someone in such a position.
Even if the war ended tomorrow, the knock-on effects will last for years if not decades to come, regardless of who the eventual winner actually is.
Over on the other side of the world, Sri Lanka is already in a full economic crisis with civil unrest in the streets. It looks like a prelude for much more to come as other poorer countries, such as Bangladesh, also start to feel the effects from the COVID-19 pandemic that managed to wipe out much of their revenue base from nationals working abroad.
Even if the war ended tomorrow, the knock-on effects will last for years if not decades to come, regardless of who the eventual winner actually is.
Meanwhile, in an act of provocation, China and Russia flew nuclear-capable bombers over the Sea of Japan as US President Biden was in Japan on an official visit. On that same visit, Biden said that the US would respond with military action if China invaded Taiwan, producing a sharp rebuke from Beijing. It’s hard to see how global political tensions could get much higher right now.
It’s hard to see how global political tensions could get much higher right now.
Let’s not even talk about global warming and climate change either. Of course, they haven’t gone away — they’re just lurking in the background whilst the world tries to deal with the most pressing crisis first. If anything, they’re set to get worse as the world desperately tries to source more hydrocarbons to replace those that have been lost to the sanctions placed on Russia.
The World is staring into the Abyss and it’s hard to see how any of this has a fairy-tale ending.
I appreciate that this will be a hard read for some, perhaps even off-putting, but in truth I’m neither a pessimist nor an optimist — I’m a realist. And a realist must accept that given all of the above, the prospects for humanity aren’t looking too good right now.
If you disagree and think that all of this is a gross exaggeration, then please tell me why. I would dearly love to know what I have missed.
In other words, feel free to give me some much-needed hope!
I look forward to reading your comments…
