The threat of nuclear war and climate destruction endanger the habitability of the earth. What can we do?
There is every indication that the West wants to defend its global dominance by building up military pressure. By building up the enemy images of Russia and China, it is preparing the possibility of using military force. And it seems that the Western states are now greatly increasing the pressure. They are aware that they are becoming relatively weaker every day: China is becoming economically stronger and harder to subdue. Since the politically dominant forces in the West are only caught up in "either China, Russia or us" thinking, not in "us with China and Russia" for the world, confrontation is becoming more and more likely. They are arming their armies further and faster, modernising their nuclear weapons. Even during the pandemic.
What does history also teach us. In the past 500 years there have been 16 times a comparable situation. A dominant power was challenged in its position by a newly emerging one. Twelve times it came to war.
But today it is much more dangerous: there are nuclear weapons - and nuclear power plants that can be bombed. That was not yet the case in the conflicts described. If it comes to a military confrontation between the great powers, it will in all probability be the end of the earth's habitability.
Albert Einstein pointed out the difference that nuclear bombs make.
But even without a decision to go to war, the mere suspicion that the other side might use nuclear weapons can lead to the use of nuclear weapons of one's own. In the Cold War, only luck saved us from this happening in 1962 and 1983 (see below). Back then, too, both sides dared to do anything bad to each other, trust was at rock bottom. And we are at ground zero again today.
We at the International PeaceFactory Wanfried consider a debate urgent on how we should deal with this situation, what we can do so that a nuclear confrontation can be ruled out and the habitability of the Earth can be secured.
We encourage you, let us organise a public discourse on the dangers: The ruling powers will not do it, they are afraid that the people will realise the dangers and forbid them to use their means of power. If they cared about our security, they would tell everyone about what happened in 1962 and 1983 and call for such situations to be ruled out. But they are driven by national-egoistic thinking that perceives others only as enemies and not as partners.
The second issue of fate is the accelerating climate destruction: it is intensified by war and armament. Armies contribute greatly to the greenhouse effect. Greta Thunberg has just pointed out that the movement she initiated has not yet brought about any new action. Politicians and managers would continue as before. They would just package it in different words to make people believe that something is happening (see below).
This is the Second Fate Question. It too can destroy the habitability of the Earth. It will do so without a fundamental change of course. The profiteers of today's coal- and oil-based economy, however, have many means of power to prevent the change of course. One of them is their systematic influence on the public, which has prevented them from taking the necessary action for decades. As a result, many do not understand the dangers and are committed to change instead of against it.
Here, too, we are all called upon to put these forces in their place and to move from talk to action. Here, too, action must be taken immediately. Here, too, we need the big conversation and many people who courageously stand up against the opinion leaders for a "way forward".
In democracy, we all have a responsibility to make the right decisions and to choose the best decision-makers. We can all contribute to this by being as well informed and intensively involved as possible. In Germany, more than in many other countries in the world, we have democratic freedom and social security to make good contributions.
Wolfgang Lieberknecht