THE name of my favourite film as a kid, a great comedy, describes well the tragedy of the world today. Humanity faces unparalleled risks despite its unparalleled powers to ensure global peace and prosperity.

Israel commits genocide aided by world powers which still skewer small states on human rights. The world’s self-declared sheriff kidnaps the head of a state, threatens to invade an ally’s colony and slaps senseless tariffs on other close allies. The top one per cent own about 50pc of global wealth, the bottom 50pc own about 1pc and the bottom 1pc live in abject poverty. Pandemics, climate change and even the shadow of nuclear war threaten mass deaths despite big scientific and managerial strides.

In short, power is in hands that don’t use it to solve global problems but for narrow ends, which often add to them and weaken the global rule of law. Three states stand out for regularly creating problems that have a huge global impact: the US, Israel and Russia. Two of them are global superpowers in decline; they can’t accept the fact and vainly try to regain their lost glory. A dozen powers do the same regionally and occasionally even globally. Their actions ensure that realpolitik rather than the rule of law guides........

© Dawn