By Leonardo Micua

 

AS the Catholic world observes the Lenten Season, capped by the Holy Week marking the martyrdom of Jesus of Nazareth, the whole world is teetering on the brink of a catastrophic war that could likely end mankind.

Methinks that if World War III happens, the Philippines is likely to be attacked due to its newly cemented relationship with the United States and its allies. My hawkish view is that a neutral position may not even save PH.

While Pope Francis and U.N. Secretary General Jose Antonio Guterrez continue to appeal for world peace, their call only fell on deaf ears as gleaned from the fact that the Russia-Ukraine War is now raging for two years, and the war between Israel and Hamas has been going on since October last year with no sign that a ceasefire will happen soon.

The Houthis in Yemen that receive direct military support from Iran, continue to attack merchant ships passing the Red Sea and vowed to continue it till Israel leaves Gaza Strip.

This prompted the U.S. Britain, India and their allies to deploy their navies there in a bid to restore free navigation in that narrow strip of water to the Mediterranean Sea.

Meantime, the war in Syria continues involving the U.S., Russia, Israel and the ISIS, that tried but failed to establish a caliphate between Syria and Iraq.

India and China again ramped up forces in their common border, which could likely lead to another war of attrition between the two neighboring countries. And there is a report that Pakistan might take on the Talibans in Afghanistan.

In the West Philippine Sea, it could pit giant China and Lilliputian Philippines but will most likely be aided by the United States by virtue of the Mutual Defense Pact signed by the two countries sometime in the 1950s.

This is notwithstanding the fact that China wants to claim back Taiwan by force but the newly formed AUKUS (Australia, United Kingdom and United States, plus Japan and India, may not let that happen).

Note that tension between Russia and Ukraine exacerbated as Russian Vladimir Putin refused accept that Ukraine had no hand in the terrorist attack on crowd attending a concert just in the  outskirts of Moscow where 137 persons were killed and scores others wounded despite the ISIS owning it up.

Britain warned Russia from stepping its war with Ukraine just for the unfounded suspicion linking the Ukrainians  to the concert attack  near Moscow.

But prior to this, France President Emmanuel Macron did not rule out the possibility he may deploy 2,000 French troops in Ukraine to fight alongside the Ukrainians  to ensure that the invaders will not succeed and if they will, the whole of Europe will be at risk.

With the NATO motto of attack to one nation will be an attack to all, Russia might think twice if it attacks any of the NATO member nation.

At this stage, it only takes one crackpot to pull the trigger and ignite a nuclear war.

In this Holy Week, let’s  pray to Jesus to illuminate the minds of  leaders of nations that peace for the people worldwide be uppermost in their minds.

Happy Easter!

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