World Crisis and the Pathway to Peace — Page 191
191 T HE K EYS TO P EACE IN A T IME OF G LOBAL D ISORDER have transformed the world into a global village. In the olden days, it was possible for a war to remain confined to those who were directly involved, but now the consequences of each conflict and each war are truly global. In fact, for many years I have been warning that the world should realise that the effects of a war in one region can and will affect the peace and harmony of other parts of the world. If we look back in history to the two World Wars that took place in the 20th Century, we all know that the weaponry available at that time was nowhere near as advanced or lethal as the weap- ons and arsenals of today. Yet still it is said that around 70 million people were killed in World War Two alone and the majority of those who lost their lives were innocent civilians. Therefore, the potential for disaster and catastrophe today is unimaginable. At the time of the Second World War, the United States pos- sessed nuclear weapons that, although extremely destructive, were nowhere near as powerful as modern day nuclear weapons. Furthermore, now it is not just the major powers that have nuclear bombs, but even a number of smaller countries possess them. Whilst perhaps the major powers keep such weapons as a de- terrent, there is no guarantee that the smaller countries will show such restraint. We cannot take it for granted that they will never use nuclear weapons. Thus, it is clear that the world stands on the brink of disaster. At the end of the Second World War, your nation had to contend with the most horrific devastation and grief imaginable when hundreds of thousands of your citizens were mercilessly killed and two of your cities were demolished and destroyed in a nuclear attack that shamed humanity.