Birth of extremes, death of innocence

Roopinder Singh

A wall of mistrust between the US and Cuba was breached by the sagacity of the Presidents of these two countries; SAARC leaders descended on Delhi to attend the swearing-in of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister; Scottish people rejected the lure of separatism...
...And in the meanwhile, terrorists descended to the ever more horrifying levels by targeting children and teenagers.
2014 was a year of darkness for the embattled state of Iraq as an army of militants, calling itself the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), took control of Falluja, and soon proceeded to take over a vast swath of territory in Iraq. Brutal tactics and a weak Iraqi opposition enabled them to establish themselves quickly. Indians were caught in the quicksand of the shifting geo-political situation and while nurses from Kerala were swiftly evacuated, several immigrants from Punjab are still stuck there — their fate uncertain.
A few months later, Boko Haram militants kidnapped more than 270 teenaged girls from a boarding school in Chibok, Nigeria. The world went “atwitter” with sympathy — some girls were rescued, but most were lost as something else grabbed the world’s attention. ISIS terrorists took hostages and beheaded western captives in a series of acts that the world watched with horror. The US and its allies responded with airpower, but without the boots on the ground that would have made the difference.
The UK became the latest western country to withdraw from Afghanistan, even as the embattled nation successfully conducted elections. Ashraf Ghani became the new President, after protracted negotiations.
Israel’s Operation Protective Edge against Hamas earned it international criticism as it deteriorated into an artillery battle in which many civilians were killed. Russian support for Ukranian separatists and its virtual annexation of Crimea became a flashpoint. Civilian lives, 298 of them, came in the line of fire when a surface-to-air missile, purported to have been fired by Russian supported Ukranian rebels, brought down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. Russia, too, paid the price for this, as crippling Western sanctions have hurt its economy since.
The year was particularly bad for civil aviation. The disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 with 239 on board in March became an enduring mystery. In July, 48 persons were killed in a plane crash in Taiwan, and an Air Algerie plane crashed in Mali, killing 116 persons.
While the shadows of terror loomed large over many parts of the world, human resilience and people power kept hope aloft. The Scottish referendum showed how mature democracies deal with separatist sentiment. A majority of the Scottish people voted to remain in the United Kingdom, and London responded with a string of special measures and sops for them.
In a former British territory, Hong Kong, residents, largely students, came out on the streets to protest peacefully against what they saw as Chinese encroachment into the affairs of this Asian commercial hub. The Chinese have responded with maturity and patience so far.
The Ebola outbreak in Guinea became a pandemic that engulfed its neighbouring nations. The world scrambled to protect itself and the pandemic was contained. It has not been eradicated and has cost over 5,600 lives so far.
India and Pakistan were united in celebration when the Nobel Peace Prize for 2014 was given to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai jointly “for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education.” Schoolchildren, however, became the victims of Taliban brutality at the fag end of the year when the terrorists killed 134 students of the Army public school  in Peshawar. India joined the world in strongly condemning the attack and in an outpouring of sympathy for the victims, but this was an aberration.
In spite of starting well when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and other SAARC leaders attended Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in, relations between the two neighbours deteriorated. There was increased militant activity and firing by the Pakistani forces on the border even as Lahore was ‘occupied’ by people who demanded Sharif’s resignation. Pakistan suffered as terror imploded, with suicide bombers killing innocent people with a distressing frequency, reminding the world of Hillary Clinton’s statement: “You can’t keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbours.”
Indian engagement with its neighbours increased under the Prime Minister’s active stewardship. New Delhi hosted important leaders. Chinese President Xi Jinping came to India, promising much, delivering little, even as the incursion by Chinese troops into Indian territory cast a shadow over the visit.
Overall, the Prime Minister’s ‘look- East policy’ has resulted in positive engagement with the neighbours. His visit to Washington caused much excitement. President Vladimir Putin revitalised Moscow’s longstanding military ties with India with the two countries signing a number of agreements.
Terrorism may have dominated the discourse in 2014, but for much of the world, it was a mixed year. The groundwork laid by Modi will bear fruit in the next year with President Obama scheduled to be the first US President to be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day Parade in January.