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| Vladimir Putin and Benyamin Netanyahu (Image: The Times of Israel) |
If you know of any young and ambitious political enthusiasts, who are living in countries where their leaders in their 70s and 80s are currently hellbent on choosing drones and bombs over diplomacy and handshaking to handle disagreements of ideology and power, please advise them watch and learn from their mindlessness.
Right now, we have 74-year-old Benyamin Netanyahu of Israel and an Iranian regime led by 84-year-old Ayatollah Khamenei doing all they can to give the rest of the world one big panic attack just to prove who is wearing the trousers in the Middle East (spoiler alert: neither are). Elsewhere, we have Russia's 71-year-old President Vladimir Putin continuing to impose fear and bombs over Ukraine. Calling all the shots here is 81-year-old US President Joe Biden who feels the need to get involved in everything - whether it is giving (un)limited ammunition to Israel and Ukraine, or providing aid to Gaza while it's being attacked by, yes, you guessed it, Israel.
It is hard to keep up with what is going on with these conflicts. It has certainly gotten social media bots in an absolute frenzy, copy-and-pasting speculation which is stirring the pots of these paranoid governments. Foreign affairs journalists, meanwhile, are struggling to properly analyse with full accuracy as they are getting data from representatives of dodgy news agencies, military organisations and government officials who are doing everything they can to push their narratives. UK and US political figures are also clueless in how to feel and respond.
As a soon-to-be 33-year-old, living in privilege (in comparison to those who are living in warzone nations), I imagine in horror as to how political leaders think that the best way to solve a problem is through bloody conflict. I try hard to understand where they come from, trying to reason their anger which inflicts constant pain on others. It's not an easy task but I truly believe it's the best way to understand and learn so we can steer away from their terrors and build better futures away from wars and horror.
Recently, for example, I watched a captivating documentary series on PBS America about Joseph Stalin. Admittedly, I had little prior knowledge about Stalin, but knowing now about his upbringing and how he was raised in an environment where conflict and tension were supposedly the only ways to get by, I can see how Stalin was radicalised to believing rebellion and absolute power were key to thriving. Putin was raised with this ideology, and with greater technology at his fingertips today, will always want to take what he believes in to the next level, and he's determined that nothing, or no one, would stand in his way.
We underestimate how influential our environment growing up is, to our belief system at adulthood. We can apply similar examples with Khamenei, a Shia Muslim raised in a very religious family who were angered by Islam being downgraded in the Middle East by Israel's takeover of Palestinian land courtesy of a controversial United Nations vote when he was just eight years of age. In addition, religion was considered as a secondary priority in his home nation of Iran. Being raised with a feeling of suppression, it has led to a radicalisation of a belief system where nothing, or no one, should stand in the way of Islam thriving like it had before - and if anyone questions or rebels against it, they'd suffer the suppression he and his family felt they had during his childhood, no matter how proportionate the suppressions are.
Again, with Netanyahu, he wasn't even born when an Israeli state came to fruition, yet he was raised by a Jewish family freshly bruised and torn apart from the horrors of the Second World War, and the ideology he'd been so used to be questioned and tarnished by neighbouring countries shortly after. Like Khamenei, he will do anything to ensure his beliefs are seen as superior.
Sadly, these conflicts have become a problem for the rest of us. They bring up a spike in migration, a spike in oil prices and interventions from governments who shouldn't feel the need to get involved (UK and US included). Also, as someone who is half-Iranian, this is personal. That said, I have been raised and surrounded by love, respect and the importance of learning from the conflicts of my elders and ensuring that they don't get in the way of building a better future for myself and for those around me.
And that ideology, I can tell, is emulated in some of our younger leaders. Emmanuel Macron, the 46-year-old French President, for instance, has shown hesitancy when approaching either Israel-Gaza-Iran or Russia-Ukraine conflict. In fact, when Russia first attacked Ukraine in its current invasion over two years ago, he met with Putin and tried to work things out. Unfortunately, Macron was a lone wolf and his plans fell flat and recently, he's done a full 180-degrees with a 'hardened stance'. His original intentions, while some may see as naïve, I felt were completely justified and should be admired, and something I feel more younger leaders would feel they can follow if that situation were to come up again. But, against Putin with that Stalin-mindset I mentioned earlier, it was always going to be a tough ask.
Nobody will be able to change the minds of Putin, Netanyahu and Khamenei, as much as we want to. In trying to avenge their upbringing's struggles, as well as overcoming general power struggles, these have made them blind with constant revenge. But we need hope and hold knowledge that their reigns will not last long from this point. Israelis are sick of Netanyahu and I would be very surprised if he remains as leader by the end of this calendar year. I feel him being ousted alone will ease the crises in the Middle East considerably. Arab nations are eager for peace talks with Israel which, realistically, will only happen when there's a change of guard in Israel, as well as Hamas losing any power it holds in Palestine. The 10,000s of Israelis who have spent recent months protesting against their leadership will find a candidate who's key focus is ending current tensions, so long as individuals stand up with that priority.
Likewise in Iran, once Khamenei ends his role as Supreme Leader, it will give people there renewed hope in changing a political system that works for them (its election in March 2024 attracted the fewest percentage of voters in its recent history). The Ayatollahs will want, in the meantime, to make sure that they strategically find a successor who can find that balance between pleasing their political muscle and providing the people's freedom. That cannot happen with Khamenei around, his internal influence is too strong at present. I will give up to three years until Iran finds its true destiny. This transition isn't going to be easy, particularly if tensions across the Middle East aren't eased by then.
Even with Putin, he may have won Russia's most recent election, it was only because he faced candidates who dared defy his views. The greatest significance of recent times in the country was the number of people who joined in solidarity with Putin's only recognised and influential political opponent, Alexei Navalny, who died behind bars two weeks before that said election. Having watched his Storyville documentary in recent weeks, it has given me some hope that the younger folk will prevail with a greater sense of making sure their beloved nation steers away from its current reputation.
In the meantime, the world needs to weather this very dark storm. Germany learnt and moved on from Nazism, and I am sure Israel, Russia and Iran can do the same, in learning and moving on from the toxic ideologies imposed on them right now. The key is for the successors to run for office and own up to these and pledge to move forward. It is so easy to live in those awful environments and think that the best thing is to avenge those who have been wronged. However, that only means that history repeats itself. It can start with leaders of countries that have an influence to make a difference to lead by example and break the cycle. President Biden is being unhelpful with his unwavering support towards one country over another in any given conflict. And unfortunately, if he loses his next election this November to 77-year-old Donald Trump, with his previous track record of unpredictable and lunatic diplomacy, we won't be embracing world peace anytime soon.
As the world is seeking a net-zero future when it comes to the environment, let's have a treaty where world leaders agree net-zero for bomb dropping by 2040. It is an ambitious target; however, it leaves enough time for radical leaders to depart and for those countries to transition towards brighter tomorrows. But we need fresh political minds who can lead without personal or professional agendas, or vengeance, as well as voters with the same mindset, willingness and trust. It sounds like a challenge, yet, I have faith.
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