By Barrister Usman Ali , Ph.D.
In what should be an age of human advancement, defined by innovation, diplomacy, and dignity, the world is instead spiraling back into the darkness of unchecked violence and moral collapse. Israel’s military onslaught in Gaza, followed by its unprecedented strikes on Iranian soil and Iran’s swift retaliation, has plunged the world into the most dangerous regional escalation in decades. Yet, the most disturbing aspect of this crisis is not just the destruction itself, but the silence, complicity, and staggering inaction of global powers.
Since October 2023, more than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry. These are not just numbers, they are families, children, teachers, doctors, the elderly. They died not in battle but in homes, schools, and hospitals. The bombardments have been so relentless and disproportionate that the UN and multiple international human rights organizations have warned of war crimes and ethnic cleansing. A survivor, 14-year-old Huda, whose parents and two siblings were killed in a single airstrike, said, “They say we are terrorists. But my baby brother didn’t even speak yet.”
And while the world was still reckoning with the scale of devastation in Gaza, Israel escalated again, this time targeting Iran directly. On June 13, 2025, Israel launched “Operation Rising Lion,” using over 200 fighter jets to strike approximately 100 high-value targets, including Iran’s nuclear facilities at Natanz and Fordow. Among the dead were senior Iranian military leaders, nuclear scientists, and civilians caught in the fallout. This was not self-defense, it was an act of war, unprovoked and unauthorized by any international body.
Iran’s response came swiftly. On June 14, over 150 ballistic missiles and 100 armed drones were launched toward Israeli territory. While Israel’s Iron Dome intercepted most, some penetrated, injuring civilians in cities like Tel Aviv and Beersheba. The Middle East airspace was shut down, oil prices soared, and global markets were rattled. The fear now is not just of escalation, but of nuclear confrontation.
And where is the international community? Where is the leadership that promised “Never Again”? The United Nations, formed in the ashes of World War II to prevent exactly this type of chaos, has proven toothless. Resolutions are vetoed. Investigations are blocked. The Security Council is paralyzed, held hostage by political alliances and veto power, particularly that of the United States, which continues to shield Israel from accountability.
The U.S. plays a deeply dangerous double role. It supplies Israel with advanced weaponry, billions in military aid, and diplomatic immunity, essentially underwriting its military campaigns. Then, when Israel’s actions provoke inevitable retaliation, the U.S. assumes the role of a concerned mediator, calling for restraint. This hypocrisy is not lost on the world. It sends a clear and corrosive message: international law is optional, and some lives matter more than others.
Leadership like that of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fueling this crisis further. Obsessed with political survival, personal legacy, and power, Netanyahu has pushed Israel into a posture of permanent war. Short-term military victories may satisfy hardline constituencies, but history has shown that lasting peace cannot be built on rubble and resentment. When people are humiliated, occupied, and slaughtered, they do not forget. They resist. And that resistance becomes generational.
This is not just a moral failure, it is a strategic catastrophe. The U.S. and its allies have made this mistake before. In Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan, they toppled regimes, unleashed chaos, and created fertile ground for extremism. What was achieved? Civil wars. Failed states. Mass displacement. Trillions spent and global terrorism that now knows no borders. Today, they are repeating that playbook, this time in a region already teetering on the edge of a nuclear arms race.
To avoid global disaster, action must begin immediately. First, a permanent ceasefire must be enforced, with full international backing. Second, Israel’s nuclear capabilities, long known but never acknowledged, must be brought under international regulation. The world cannot condemn Iran’s nuclear ambitions while ignoring Israel’s undeclared arsenal. Third, U.S. military and financial aid to Israel must be made conditional on compliance with international humanitarian law. Fourth, meaningful diplomacy, not symbolic meetings, must be launched, involving all regional stakeholders, including Palestine and Iran. And finally, the global public must rise. Protests, petitions, and sustained pressure on governments, corporations, and media outlets can shift policy, because silence is complicity.
This moment also demands clarity. This is not a war between equals. This is not about religion. This is not about security. This is about one state acting with impunity while millions are denied basic rights, shelter, and dignity. This is about global powers enabling that impunity while pretending to pursue peace. And this is about a world order that punishes some nations for even suspected weapons, while others are allowed to use them freely.
In the year 2025, with all our knowledge, all our history, and all our tools of communication, we are once again staring into the abyss. If a nuclear war breaks out, triggered by ego, ideology, or provocation, it will not matter who started it. No one will finish it. Cities will fall. Economies will collapse. The illusion of safety, even in the most distant countries, will be shattered.
We are not helpless. We are not without options. But time is rapidly slipping away. This is our crossroads. One path leads to justice, dialogue, and peace. The other leads to annihilation, and a future in which historians, if any remain, will write of our failure to act.
The decision lies not just with politicians, but with us all. The hour is late. But history is still watching.
