The presidents of South American Nations – Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru – met in Santiago to form Prosur, another alliance for regional integration after the unsuccessful predecessor UNASUR (Unión de Naciones Suramericanas: Union of South American Nations).
According to Ivan Duque, President of Colombia, the goal is to make Prosur “more dynamic, less bureaucratic and free of ideologies”, while the successor of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez who founded the previous UNASUR to stop the influence of the United States in the region, President Nicolas Maduro is of the view that his country is suffering an “economic war” driven by political enemies with the assistance of the USA.
Meanwhile in Europe, the European Union has agreed to delay Brexit until 22 May, on the condition that British Prime Minister Theresa May can secure support from parliament in a week’s time.
On the other hand, according to The Sunday Times, there are at least six senior ministers who want Theresa May to be replaced by Michael Gove or David Lidington, expecting that one of them would successfully steer Brexit in the right direction. Aside from that, the UK has to sort out its future plans on what to do next, no later than 12 April.
In other news, President Donald Trump issued his first presidential veto, rejecting the legislation approved by 59 to 41 votes, from both the Democrats and the Republicans in the Congress, as it would terminate his emergency declaration for a wall that is to be built on the US-Mexico border to stop illegal migration and criminal activity.
Mr Trump said, “As president, the protection of the nation is my highest duty … Congress passed a dangerous resolution that if signed into law, would put countless Americans in danger. Congress has the freedom to pass this resolution and I have the duty to veto it. I’m very proud to veto it.”
This was said as throngs of people gathered in front of Trump International Hotel & Tower in New York, carrying placards saying “Trump is the emergency” and protesting against his declaration.
Amidst the growing hostility and extremism on the international horizon, nations seem to be advancing towards further conflict through harbouring separatist tendencies.
The worldwide head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih Vaa, pointing towards the establishment of global unity, presenting it as the key to peace and harmony, states:
“The truth is that in the modern world we all depend upon one another. Today, even the major powers like Europe or the United States cannot survive by remaining completely isolated from all others. African countries cannot remain isolated and hope to flourish and neither can Asian countries or the people from any other part of the world. For example, if you want your economy to flourish, then you must be willing to embrace international trade. A clear example of how the world is now inter-linked is illustrated by the fact that the European or the world’s financial crisis of the past few years has negatively affected, more or less, every country of the world. Furthermore, for countries to advance in science, or to excel in other fields of expertise requires them to cooperate and help each other…
“I pray that may Allah the Almighty enable the people of the world to rise above their personal interests and desires, in an effort to save the world from the coming destruction. It is the developed nations of the West that hold the greatest amount of power in today’s world, and so it is your duty, above others, to pay urgent attention to these matters of crucial importance.” (Keynote Address at European Parliament, Brussels, 4 December 2012)
Huzooraa has reiterated the same point in the recently held Peace Symposium in London (9 March 2019).
Hence, finding pragmatic solutions and better ways to deal with the present issues rest on the shoulders of governments and more so on their advisors.
The solution to most problems rests in coming together and uniting, not in widening the cleavages of separatism.