Writer Syed Ahmed Ali Shah started his story, "Diplomacy, Not a War, Wins Peace and Sanity," with a straightforward but true statement, "In the very critical times, every nation must not forget a simple truth: it is diplomacy that wins peace and sanity. Waging a war, especially between two nuclear states (India and Pakistan), is not a solution; it is a shortcut to a big catastrophe."
Shah went on to address the April 22 attack on tourists in Pahalgam, in which 26 innocent people were brutally killed. He criticized the way that India behaved in the crisis. Shah said: "The reaction by the Indian Modi regime to the attack has been fueled more by high emotional intensity and blind hatred than by evidence or reason. No viable facts and evidence have been produced that can link Pakistan to this terrorist attack, yet the Indian mainstream media and its political figures have rushed to assign blame. This is not the right approach to justice; it is more likely the display of Hindutva fascism that continues to infect Indian political and cultural spaces."
Modi and his BJP government have a history of unethically taking advantage of tragic situations to spread Hindu nationalism and repress dissent. A smooth sort of unfreedom defines life in India today. The increasingly controlled and biased Indian media amplifies the government's point. All right-wing groups blindly echo government propaganda. Their behavior goes beyond extreme bigotry and fanaticism. They are playing with fire in a region that cannot afford it.
Shah pointed out that Henry Kissinger, very controversial to many political groupings, once argued that foreign policy must balance diplomacy and military power. His doctrine of peace stresses the importance of calculated decisions that benefit all relevant players and maintain global stability. India has thrown all such wisdom into the trash. Its actions are not measured or strategic; they are driven by extreme hate and political ambitions.
Shah suggested a plan for the India/Pakistan problem: "Any war between Pakistan and India would be suicidal. Both are nuclear powers, and any escalation could have consequences beyond control. No one, not even the superpowers, could stop the chain reaction of destruction such a war would unleash. It would not solve terrorism. It would only heighten the loss. Terrorism is an inevitable threat to every state and must be fought. But the strategy and method based on dialogue matter. War is not a surgical tool. It is a brute force that hurts civilians, destroys infrastructure, and destabilizes entire regions. The only vital path is through diplomacy and dialogue, as the US has done through mediation between Pakistan and India upon India's ceasefire request. Only with togetherness, sharing intelligence, and focusing on root causes can nations identify and eliminate terrorism."
The Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 ended the destructive Thirty Years' War between Protestant and Catholic states through negotiations, not weapons, as Shah stated. After the horrible destruction of the world wars, international leaders sat down to form institutions like the League of Nations and the United Nations to prevent future conflict. Peace did not come from bombs and bloodshed. It came from peace talks, treaties, and cooperation.
What Shad didn't cover, and must be covered, is the authoritarian nature of politics in Modi's India and in the US under President Donald Trump. Neither leader looks abroad for nations to invade; they don't have much interest in such projects. However, both are interested in demagoguing people in their respective countries who are seen as internal enemies, making foreign policy based on rules and diplomacy more difficult. When nations turn inward, it's hard to turn outward and de-escalate tensions with other countries. The US can do much good with its tremendous wealth and power, but the current political zeitgeist makes it hard. How do we build peace on principles like verifiable facts, justice, and mutual understanding in the current authoritarian political climate?
Jason Sibert is the Lead Writer of the Peace Economy Project
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