Stability in Asia

Russia, India and China held the Ninth trilateral meeting at Foreign Ministers level in Bangalore, India last Tuesday. These three countries account for 20 percent of the world's land mass and 39 percent of the world population. Together with Brazil they constitute the BRIC nations, the most formidable emerging power bloc in the world economy.

Compared to the situation several years ago when India and China, China and Russia exchanged hostilities at various levels, the very fact of their coming together is significant. During the last decade their relations have improved. All of them are also members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a Eurasian group that is of strategic importance to world peace.

The three countries, also known as RIC, have stressed the significance of their unity for regional and world peace. In a joint statement issued after the meeting, the three countries, they called for international cooperation in the fight against terrorism, especially in Afghanistan. They resolved to jointly fight terrorism and narcotic trafficking. They also called upon the United Nations member states to campaign for a UN Convention against terrorism.

In the backdrop of attempts by powerful nations to undermine Sino - Indian unity and escalate tension between the two Asian giants the outcome of the RIC meeting is of special importance. The meeting was preceded by bi-lateral meetings between Russia and China, India and China and Russia and India. Thus there was convergence of opinion at the RIC meeting.

The three countries jointly called for a greater role for India in the United Nations affairs. As regards the international financial institutions they sought "equitable distribution of voting power between developed and developing nations". The joint statement called for a "speedy shift in International Monetary Fund quota share of at least five percent to emerging market and developing countries and a significant increase of at least three percent of voting power in the World Bank for developing and transition countries, while avoiding erosion in voting shares." The joint statement also mentioned that "there is a need for a comprehensive reform of the United Nations with a view to make it more efficient so that it can deal with the current global challenges more effectively."

The three nations also called for a negotiated settlement of the Iran nuclear issue and de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

Beside issues relating to international and regional political situations, the three countries also discussed climate change and its impact as well as cooperation in spheres of trade, energy, chemicals, pharmaceutical and nanotechnology.

There is no doubt the deliberations at the RIC meeting would have a beneficial impact on the maintenance of peace and stability in the Asian region and the world as a whole.

The RIC meeting is yet another indication of the way international relations are being restructured in the 21st Century. The world is hopefully moving away from confrontation to dialogue and cooperation. The time of hegemony, regional or global is giving way to mutual understanding and cooperation.

Man and nature - then and now

Before the dawn of modern civilization man and nature were in harmony. Not only did man find his basic needs from nature but also treated nature with respect, even practising nature worship.

Today, man harnesses nature more extensively but he treats it with scorn. By polluting the atmosphere he has disturbed the ecological balance of nature. Nature is fighting back with tsunamis, floods, hurricanes and what not.

The "uncivilized man" then, never polluted waterways. The "civilized" modern man pollutes waterways with industrial and even human waste. Even human waste then nurtured nature by providing manure. Today colossal collections of human waste are discharged stealthily to waterways by technical and other means that it becomes a health hazard.

Man harnessed the atom, mastered nuclear fission and uses his knowledge to blow up the world. In comparison to the destructive power amassed by world powers today, the destruction at Hiroshima and Nagasaki seems child's play.

He has deciphered the genetic code and is cloning animals and even man. The destruction that could be caused by mischievous elements possessed of this knowledge is fearful, even to think of.

There are those aiming at star wars and taking the arms race to the moon and may be, even to other parts of the solar system. Are we in a lunatic asylum or have we achieved progress?