Many pledges are made by the so-called big powers to rid the world of destructive weapons. However, the pledges remain unfulfilled. This could be obvious from a report released a few weeks ago by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) which indicates an incremental rise in the defence budget of some countries. This should, without a doubt, alarm the comity of nations, as an increasing military expenditure could trigger an arms race among big powers, which could lead to worldwide instability.
The Covid-19 pandemic has already exposed the weaknesses of the international community. The virus has, in fact, hit the planet at a time when nations were busy gathering lethal weapons in the quest for domination. Billions of dollars were being spent every year to further military prowess, while health and environmental sectors were left in a shambles. Had the state authorities spent similar amount of their budgets on both these sectors, they would have been in a better position to tackle the reigning health crisis.
One can only hope that countries learn from the prevailing crisis, and review their priorities and preferences to shape the post Covid-19 world.
Abdul Hafeez Jatoi
Hyderabad
Published in The Express Tribune, July 4th, 2020.
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