“THEY CAME FIRST for the Communists,

….and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.

THEN THEY CAME for the Jews,

….and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.

THEN THEY CAME for the trade unionists,

….and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

THEN THEY CAME for the Catholics,

….and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant.

THEN THEY CAME for me,

….and by that time no one was left to speak up”.

This poem by Martin Niemoller on the inactivity of the German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power very much sums up the worst forms of socio-political apathy of our times. A military coup in a distant island, the stifling of a democratic movement, a terrorist attack, the depleting ozone layer or the melting of the glaciers; from terrorism to global warming, most of the challenges faced by our world today is a result of man’s iffy behaviour. We are more fretful on how our days pass by. Making our portfolios work, saving our jobs, fending for our families- we continue our lives with a pray on our lips. We are not insensitive, but we wish to demonstrate our strength. We are exulted to do that; get back on our feet and keep marching. Life today is no different from going to war. A fear lurks within.

Global Affairs Monitor is an effort to generate an evaluation and understanding of international happenings. Most of the information on this blog is from publicly available sources, but the effort being made here is to channelize thought on issues, concerns and challenges in the domain of world affairs. For it is in our understanding that lies our ability to overcome challenges!