World should start working towards peace this year
Conflicts, problems, and small-scale wars between nations don’t get resolved overnight. They don’t simply disappear the moment they flare up. For many years we have noticed that situations remain stubbornly unchanged, with issues not shifting even an inch.
Bangladesh, which borders India, is seeing its political balance shift with the death of Khaleda Zia (the country’s first female prime minister). She worked with Sheikh Hasina to try to establish democracy in the country, but their friendship collapsed in what has been called the “Battle of the Begums.” As Khaleda Zia has passed away, Hasina has found herself forced to leave the country and seek refuge elsewhere. No one can predict how the elections scheduled for next month will turn out. Faced with uncertainty and street clashes that are currently unfolding, Bangladesh’s future is chaotic and worrisome.
Tarique Rahman (Zia’s son), acting chairman of the Nationalist Party, has returned from abroad after 17 years to throw down the gauntlet to other parties, declaring “I’m in the race too.” He is trying to win votes—without alienating Hindus and causing them distress—sending signals that he wants to bring everyone together. He has also entered the field insisting that it was Zia, not Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who deserves the credit for establishing peace. Mohammad Yunus, who led the interim government, assumed leadership amid student unrest and the ensuing events; his failure to restore law and order has left the question of who will hold power completely unpredictable.
The situation in neighbouring Pakistan is unstable. Army chief Munir has effectively taken control of power and reduced the civilian government to a figurehead. He is cozying up to U S President Donald Trump and, by flattering the American leader and leaning on him, trying to secure his own position. Observers of international affairs say that the government there is nominal and that the army chief is acting as if he alone runs the country.
After Operation Sindoor, China has pulled back from backing Pakistan as strongly as before. Pakistan is taking steps to improve ties with India. As a result, under Munir’s leadership, it is currently heavily dependent on the United States. The National Citizen Party — formed after the 2024 student movement — is preparing to contest elections in alliance with the Islamist Jammat-e-Islami (the party that allied with Pakistan in 1971 and was implicated in many deaths). Whichever party wins, it is unlikely that Pakistan will pursue a genuinely friendly policy toward India. Following Sheikh Hasina’s exile, not only were penalties imposed but her Awami League was banned. Democratic conditions in that country appear to be under severe strain.
With the politics of these two countries as they are, the Russia–Ukraine situation does not look like it will be resolved anytime soon. The idea that the Ukrainian drone attack struck buildings belonging to him, an allegation made by Russian President Putin, is far from being settled. Ukrainian President Zelensky called that claim a lie and dismissed it outright. US media, citing the CIA, reported to the world that the Ukrainian attack did not hit those buildings. Because the CIA is part of the government, many countries are having difficulty ascertaining the truth. Russia has an obligation to present indisputable evidence to the world in this matter. But it’s also hard to deny the accusation that the United States, under Trump’s leadership, is behaving in a way that covers up the facts.
News of Ukrainian attacks like this have happened before. Other countries have not been able to completely stop them. Whatever the truth, the atmosphere that had been building normal relations between the two countries has changed somewhat, and a wartime mood is again visible. On the first day of 2026, three Ukrainian drones attacked territory under Russian control, killing about 27 people, including a small child, and the two countries intensified mutual strikes. Other nations also fear this conflict between the two countries could lead to nuclear war! With the US actively trying to broker a ceasefire and negotiate, and so far, not acting solely as a mediator between Russia and America, there is a need for that country to work harder to produce results. Russia and Ukraine should not drag out their dispute until one side is destroyed — people are suffering, and governments cannot ignore that. The UN should not remain a “silent spectator” in situations like this.
In addition to the ongoing warlike tensions between these countries, protests by shopkeepers in Tehran and the subsequent shootings between the US and Iran have unexpectedly pushed relations toward a war. Trump, accustomed to warning other countries with is blabber, has warned that watching the protests and shootings in Iran won’t keep him idle and that he would certainly intervene. In response, Iran loudly declared that if the US intervenes in its internal affairs, it too will not remain passive. Concern over where these developments might lead has spread to neighbouring countries.
A couple of days ago, India’s External Affairs Minister Jaishankar spoke informally with students at IIT Madras in Chennai and made it clear how India conducts its foreign policy and deals with neighboring countries. His words made it obvious how cautiously—and when necessary, flexibly—India responds. He summed up India’s stance on Pakistan in one sentence: “India has not had good relations with a neighboring country that supports terrorism,” which is noteworthy. Referring to the Indus Waters Treaty, he said, “Many years ago we agreed in good faith to share water. But how can we continue to cooperate if that neighbor has been supporting terrorism for years?”
He also pointed out that India was ready to aid during the Covid crisis, for example by sending vaccines without hesitation to neighbouring countries. He said India helped ensure supplies of food and oil reached neighboring nations when the Ukraine conflict caused shortages due to economic conditions. He noted, “When Sri Lanka was going through severe financial hardship, we provided assistance,” explaining how India pairs resilience with diplomacy to implement foreign policy and offer cooperation.
Other countries know that when India’s actions have the weight to threaten relations between nations and push them toward war, and when India both offers help and sets a course, and will still act responsibly even in 2026 when tensions between those countries remain unsettled. Nations like Russia, Ukraine, Israel and Iran need to follow the path India is taking.
(The writer is a retired IPS officer, who has served as an Additional DGP
of Andhra Pradesh)