By Vivek Pattanayak in Bhubaneswar, March 10, 2026: The Second World War ended with a bang, by dropping of Atom Bombs by USA, one on Hiroshima, and as if it were not enough a second one was dropped after less than a fortnight on Nagasaki leaving behind one hundred forty thousand dead in Hiroshima and seventy thousand in Nagasaki. World thought it was the “farewell to arms” with a hope of a rule-based order in creation of the United Nations.

A part of human civilization under imperial and colonial rule for centuries saw the dawn of freedom. The dominant military powers were USA with nuclear arsenal, UK although exhausted showed its impotent anger by bombing Dresden killing innocent civilians although Germany had been completely defeated, and France although had been wiped out except for the resistance of de Gaulle. The French were fortunate having been on the winning side to get a berth as veto wielding member in the Security Council.

In less than five years destructive wars started in Korea and then in Indochina. After humiliating defeat of France at Dien bien Phu and equally crushing defeat of USA in Vietnam, one also saw pathetic retreat of US and its allies from North Korea. Attempt to forestall puppet corrupt regimes by USA and France in Africa the world saw disgraceful escape of Mobutu, an American ally from Congo having been replaced by Lawrence Kabila, Marxist guerrilla trained by Che Guevera, an icon of the Cuban revolution murdered by CIA in the jungles of Bolivia.

US was directly involved in the murder of first Prime Minister of Congo, Patrice Lumumba. US also attempted to overthrow Fidel Castro what is infamously known as disastrous Bay of Pigs attack. It was followed by CIA sponsored coup d’état in Chile to replace a democratically elected Marxist leader Allende with apathetic end to his life caused by coup leaders. US in the eighties after military attack on Panama took its President Noriega as a prisoner until he died in jail.

The US and its allies of the colonial past invaded Serbia. With regime change its former President Milosevic was taken to custody by the warrant of the International Criminal Court until he died in captivity. Incidentally, the same court has issued warrant of arrest against Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister.

This coup de grace was followed by the Anglo-American aggression on Iraq on the false charges that it possessed weapons of mass destruction. Saddam Hussein, its President was captured and executed after a trial which was hardly transparent. Gaddafi was deposed and savagely killed following US, UK, French aerial attack when the “Arab spring” spread to this hapless country. Repeated attempt was made to overthrow Assad until Russia under Putin stepped in. He survived till recently.

US has now installed a regime whose head was until recently known as an Al Qaeda operative. In all these ventures US and their allies have adopted the policy of division among the people to bring regime change. Old imperial and colonial policy of divide and rule is the strategy. The history of India is replete with examples of this treachery adopted by the imperial British.

What we see now is the repetition of same strategy. America under Trump is trying to bring back the dominance of erstwhile imperial powers. He has revived the moribund Munroe doctrine as was evidenced through notorious abduction of Maduro, a ruling President of Venezuela along with his wife. Exactly in the same manner the Mohawk chief had been kidnapped by the French colonialists in Quebec, known then as New France during ancient regime.

Now we saw the killing of the Iranian Spiritual leader Khamenei and his wife through the joint attack of Israel and US when the negotiation was under progress. The regime in Iran which came into power in 1979 replacing the Shah belonging to the Pehlevi dynasty was a result of mass movement although united by the Islamic religious bonding after years of the Anglo-American interference on the Iranian affairs mainly to control the oil resource starting with the deposition of highly popular nationalist and socialist leader Mossadegh.

There is a world of difference between Khamenei and Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden. Incidentally, Iran had given passive support to US in its fight against terrorism after 9/11 twin tower attack.

Stark difference between President Obama and Trump is that the former believed in diplomacy and obtained a deal on nuclear proliferation issue with agreement of powers like Russia, China, UK, France, Germany, and Japan. Obama’s administration must be given full credit for eliminating Osama Bin Laden by swift commando action without massive military assault by aerial and missile strike.

It is generally believed that Netanyahu managed to persuade Trump to make the surprise attack on Iran. The Middle East is now burning with spread of the theatre of war by every day. Policy of dividing and creating friction among the Muslim countries in the Middle East based on sectarian difference is comparable to the British strategy of 19th century. With defeat of Iran, oil reserves will be under the control of USA and Israel. Already Venezuela which has the highest oil reserve is under the American grip. After vanquishing of Iran, the American Israeli domination of the Middle East will be complete.

Those who are remaining silent and currying favour from the aggressors will one day face the same situation. In next twenty-five years the erstwhile imperial and colonial powers will be back in seats of world power with complete sweep over the globe reminiscent of era when the sun never set in their empire. The much-vaunted rule-based world order would be in their nasty hands. US led alliance would dictate the world order.

They will impose trade, commercial, and business agreements which would remain obfuscated from public gaze. All the people known as visible minorities – whether citizens or residents working in USA, Europe, Canada, and Australia, will be relegated to second class status. Embracing, hugs and handshaking are only for now. The generation which will spring up by 2050 will see what people saw under the colonial subjugation in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Dream of living like equals will end with a whimper.