The military attack against Iran by the United States and Israel has revived fears of a wider conflict—one whose consequences could reverberate across the entire planet. Global peace, economic stability, and the lives of millions who have no stake in the quarrel may now hang in the balance. Yet the decision to wage such wars is made by a small circle of leaders, while the risks are shared by humanity at large.
The current escalation is the result of decades of strained relations between the United States and Iran, dating back to the 1979 overthrow of the pro-American Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi. He was replaced by the Islamic Republic of Iran, a government deeply opposed to U.S. policies in the Middle East and to Washington’s longstanding support for Israel.
It is therefore perhaps no surprise that Israel initiated the latest attack in the ongoing conflict, with support from the United States. The strikes have triggered retaliatory attacks by Iran against countries across the Gulf that host U.S. military bases.
If the consequences of modern warfare extend beyond national borders, then the authority to launch wars cannot belong solely to the governments that initiate them. In an interconnected world this conflict will disrupt food supplies, energy markets, and even the climate. Consequently, the costs are shared by people who had no voice in the decision to fight. Farmers in Africa, workers in Asia, families in Europe and ordinary citizens everywhere may bear the economic, environmental, and security consequences of wars they neither voted for nor supported. When the risks are global, the conversation—and the decision to go to war—must also be global. If petrol prices double in the near future as a consequence of this war, Tanzanians too should have a voice in that discussion.
With all its weaknesses, there was once a time when voices could be raised against war in the United Nations by countries such as Tanzania. The UN General Assembly was—and remains—a platform where the voices of the Global South can be heard, though it also reminds us of a lopsided UN structure that allows powerful nations to veto the decisions of the majority. Within countries, where governments may require leaders to seek parliamentary approval before launching wars, the tendency is often for those leaders to act unilaterally. We have been forcefully pushed into an era of profound instability.
If wars now carry global consequences, then global voices must matter. Humanity cannot remain a silent bystander while a handful of leaders gamble with the peace and prosperity of the world.
