Is Our Independence a Reality or a Mere Mirage?

In this modern world, one or the other things are falling apart, whether it is families, societies, or countries.

There are a number of factors at work, but when we narrow them down to the root, it is either ego or the imposition of one’s ideology or problems onto others. Many are yet to understand a simple truth—that only their life is their own—and that no country can impose itself on others just to satisfy its illusionary pride, because the entire world doesn't exist to serve or answer to a handful of powerful countries. What is worse is the fact that, just to prove a point or to uphold a certain country’s interest—which is most often the interest of the people in power in that country—the well-being of numerous hardworking and struggling countries is ignored.

How can one justify profiting at the cost of not just one, but many innocent citizens living across countries? In this borderless world, even the smallest disturbance can affect many, with varying degrees of impact. Is it necessary for the world to still keep certain countries entertained at the cost of their people? The world is neither a colony nor unipolar anymore, where elite countries can dictate decisions that benefit themselves rather than the nations affected by them. Every country has the right to pursue what is in its best interest. But this is tough because even today a handful of countries hold immense power to change the tide. Surely, power cannot be redistributed or shifted within a short span of time, but it can be challenged. It is necessary to make them (the elite countries) know that their actions won't go unquestioned for affecting the lives of numerous others, and for not using this power to help the needy countries.

No country alone can do this. But surely, countries together can do it by pooling their resources and helping each other to be less dependent on the dominant powers of the present. Surely, in geopolitics there are no permanent friends or enemies, only interests. The question that arises is whether we should pursue short-term interests at the cost of our independence or commit ourselves to our long-term interests.

What the world needs is a multipolar order where the voice of every region is heard. Age-old forums will no longer remain relevant if they do not change their unipolar approach. It is time for developing countries to take charge, because they can understand each other's problems better—something that more developed countries often fail to fully see or empathize with. We can look up to them to learn from their mistakes, but we cannot let them take the lead and dictate to us or blindly follow their orders, because what they faced was different, and the circumstances they were in are different from ours.It may already be late, but before we are pushed into a worse situation, we must stop pointing out what others have done wrong and stand together in doing what is right—protecting the sovereignty of the world