"The world is very different from what it was 50 or so years ago. Countries are much more interconnected economically, politically, and socially."
"The world is very different from what it was 50 or so years ago. Countries are much more interconnected economically, politically, and socially."I am a “make peace not war” child. This was a popular slogan in the ’70s when I was turning into a teenager and the “flower people” were in vogue. It was a time of bell-bottom jeans, colorful beads, long hair in males, mini-skirts, open-toe sandals, and clog shoes.
The slogan was from American peace activists who were protesting against the Vietnam war. They wanted to stop the US in its war against the Vietnamese. In Manila then, it was more “uso” than anything else. I never thought that this slogan may again be chanted by activists in this time and age. I hope this will not come to pass.
It is now 2020 and January is not even halfway. However, it is hard to feel hopeful because of the news that we get and this time, regarding worrisome events at the international level.
It is hard to ignore the escalating conflict between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran after US President Donald Trump ordered the strike that killed Iranian Major General Qassem Suleimani, the country’s most prominent military leader. We saw the unprecedented throngs of Iranians who joined Suleimani’s funeral procession. Obviously, the anti-US sentiment is quite strong among Iran’s citizens.
Iran responded by firing more than a dozen missiles at bases used by the US troops in Iraq. Although there were no casualties, it was a strong signal that the country was not backing off especially with the repeated threats of stronger revenge against the US from Abdollah Araghi, a member of Iran’s joint chiefs of staff. Iran said that the missile strikes were aimed at US’ military machine and did not plan to kill anyone.
On the same day just hours after the missile attack, a Ukranian jetliner, International Flight 752 crashed soon after it took off. 176 people were killed including 63 Canadians. In a press conference, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that there were multiple intelligence reports indicating that the aircraft was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile. Trudeau called for a thorough investigation of the crash. Now Canada seems to be involved as well.
US officials also said that the crash was caused by Iran’s missiles. They said that US picked up signals of two missile launches and also of the explosion shortly after. Missile components were reported to have been found near the crash site.
On Jan. 9, Trump faced the media with even stronger threats against Iran even as he said that the US does not want to use its military might and power. In a related development, the US House of Representatives approved the War Powers Resolution that seeks to put a limit on Trump’s actions against Iran.
Should these events concern us? Some would say that they should not since we are thousands of miles away from any of the countries that are involved. We are not (and will not be in the foreseeable future) at war with any of the countries. We can then feel secure and disinterested in these “developments.”
However, the world is very different from 50 or so years ago. Countries are much more interconnected economically, politically, and socially. We relate with each other in a deeper and more significant way. We cannot be sure that if war breaks, we will not be affected no matter how distant the countries at war are. As citizens of the world, we need to pursue peace for as often said, no one wins in war.
Another important consideration is the fact that Filipinos are in all countries of the world. As a major labor exporting country, it is in our interest that no war happens anywhere. For instance, it is estimated (2010) that there are 3.4-million Filipinos in the USA and 2.1 million in the Middle East. Instantly, 5.5-million Filipinos could potentially be affected if war happens. Filipinos in the directly affected Middle Eastern countries also run in the tens of thousands: almost 1,100 in Iran, 10,000 in Iraq, and 29,144 in Lebanon.
No wonder, the country is now preparing for the repatriation of Filipinos in Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon. Should this happen, more than 41,000 Filipinos will come home. This will affect around the same number of Filipino families. The country should also prepare for the possible loss of livelihood of these Filipinos if war breaks. Moreover, war in the Middle East could also potentially affect other ME countries and the Filipinos there.
What about the US? 3.4 million of our citizens are there. What affects the US affects them. And what affects them affects their families here. It is impossible for the Philippines not to be affected especially since the current White House resident does not really care about immigrants in the US.
Trade is another factor that should be considered. From January to June of 2017, our exports to the US totaled more than $5.5 billion. The US is one of our top three trading partners and if war affects this country negatively, the Philippines will most likely be affected too.
We get oil from Iran. The country is a significant trade partner in the Middle East. If it goes to war, this may be affected. Oil from other ME countries may also become more expensive and oil is crucial for the Philippines.
Thus, the Philippines has a lot at stake in relation with the ongoing conflict between the US and Iran. War must be averted at all cost. Let peace reign, not war.
@bethangsioco on Twitter; Elizabeth Angsioco on Facebook