عندما انتهت الحرب العالمية الأولى بكل مآسيها الجسام، مُحيت دول بأكملها من فوق الخريطة في الوقت الذي تم فيه تشكيل دول جديدة، بينما تم تقسيم البعض وضم البعض الآخر، واقتطعت الدول التي انتصرت في الحرب من بعض الدول المهزومة أجزاءً منها وضمتها لدول أخرى في أكبر إعادة تشكيل للخارطة العالمية وقتذاك، خلال تلك الفترة على ما يبدو لم يكن العالم قد أفاق بعد من هول صدمته المدوية التي تركت الجزء الأكبر من سكان العالم في حالة ذهول وصدمة وحزن، فالحرب خلّفت ملايين القتلى والجرحى وتركت وراءها الملايين من الأرامل والأيتام، بخلاف تدميرها للاقتصاد العالمي.
من المرجح أنه لم يدر وقتها في خلد أي سياسي أو حتى أي شخص عادي أنه من الممكن أن تنشب حرب عالمية أخرى قريباً والعالم لم يزل في حالة ذهول وألم من هول صدمة الحرب العالمية الأولى ولم يفق منها بعد، غير أن العالم المثخن بجراحه سرعان ما سقط في مستنقع تدهور الأحوال الصحية التي تسبّبت في انهيار المنظومة الصحية العالمية، مما نتج عنه وباء الانفلونزا الإسبانية الذي سرعان ما انتشر كالنار في الهشيم في كافة دول وأرجاء العالم، مخلّفاً هو الآخر مئات الألوف من الموتى والمرضى، في واحدة من أشد الكوارث الصحية العالمية.
بينما لم يفق العالم من صدمته بعد ظهرت بوادر أزمة سياسية دولية عام 1933 عقب انتهاء الحرب العالمية الأولى، وهي الأزمة التي اندلعت عقب وصول هتلر والنازيين لسدة الحكم في ألمانيا، وقد استغل هتلر نتائج الحرب العالمية الأولى -التي رأى فيها إجحافاً لألمانيا- في تأجيج مشاعر الألمان وحشدهم لتأييده استعادة حقوق ألمانيا المهضومة بحسب رأيه، فبدأ يحشد جيوشه وشعبه وقواته المسلحة لخوض حرب جديدة، وكأن العالم لم يكن قد اكتفى بعد من هدر كل هذه الدماء وكل هذا الدمار المروع الذي حل بغالبية دول العالم التي انخرطت في أتون الحرب العالمية الأولى.
اندلعت شرارة الحرب العالمية الثانية بسبب غزو ألمانيا لبولندا لاستعادة ممر دانزنج، وقد تسبّب هذا الغزو في إعلان بريطانيا وفرنسا الحرب على ألمانيا، فقد أعلنت كلتا الدولتين رفضهما لغزو دولة لأخرى بهدف إعادة تشكيل الخارطة الأوروبية السياسية من جديد، غير أن تلك الحرب التي نشبت في القارة الأوروبية في بداية الأمر سرت كالنار في الهشيم في العديد من دول العالم، فقد امتدت نيرانها لأفريقيا والشرق الأقصى.
لا شك أن الكثير من العوامل والأسباب دفعت تلك الدول للانخراط في أتون الحرب العالمية الثانية رغماً عنها، فالحرب تندلع من مستصغر الشرر، وهو الأمر الذي يلقي بثقله على العالم حالياً ولاسيما مع اشتداد الصراعات في مناطق عدة منه، فها هي الحرب مشتعلة بين روسيا وأوكرانيا دون ظهور أية بوادر على الوصول لحل قريب لإيقافها، وهناك أزمة خفية تحت الرماد بين الجارتين النوويتين الهند وباكستان، والتي يخشى الجميع اندلاعها في أي لحظة مما يطيح بأمن واستقرار المنطقة بل والعالم ككل.
وبخلاف الأزمات المستمرة في اليمن والسودان وغزة لا يبدو أن إشعال منطقة الشرق الأوسط بصراع جديد يبدو حلاً منطقياً لتسوية أي خلاف مهما كان نوعه، ولا يمكننا الاستهانة بما تقوم به إسرائيل من قصف مستمر، فلم تعد إسرائيل متمسكة بأهداف محددة من ضرباتها العسكرية ولم تعد مبالية بمدى ما تحدثه من خراب في المنطقة، أو بما يبديه تجاهها قادة وشعوب العالم، فهي تضرب بقوة وعلى نحو عشوائي في محاولة منها على ما يبدو لإعادة رسم خارطة المنطقة بما يناسبها هي فقط، غير أن المؤسف أنها تجد الدعم والتشجيع من دول عظمى تقف خلفها وتدعمها بطرق مباشرة وغير مباشرة.
في خضم الأحداث المتلاحقة والمتسارعة يحق لنا أن نتساءل عما إذا كانت هناك حرب عالمية ثالثة ستندلع عما قريب، وهو –بطبيعته- سؤال منطقي بل ومتوقع أيضاً، ففي الوقت الذي يظن فيه قادة العالم والمنطقة أن كافة هذه الصراعات الدائرة تحت السيطرة، وأن نتائجها قد تكون محسومة مسبقاً، يغيب عنهم أن الحربين العالميتين الأولى والثانية لم يكن مخططاً لهما أن تخرجا عن السيطرة وتُخلّفا كل هذا العدد الضخم من القتلى والكم الهائل من الدمار، ومع تعقد الأحداث تترشح الصراعات للمزيد من التوسع والانتشار، فالحرائق الضخمة تبدأ من لهيب خافت يبدو كما لو أنه سيتلاشى من تلقاء نفسه، غير أن النيران تندلع دوماً من مستصغر الشرر.
تابع قناة عكاظ على الواتساب
When World War I ended with all its immense tragedies, entire countries were wiped off the map at the same time that new countries were formed, while some were divided and others annexed. The victorious nations took parts of some defeated countries and annexed them to other nations in the largest reshaping of the world map at that time. During that period, it seems the world had not yet awakened from the shock of the deafening blow that left the majority of the world's population in a state of astonishment, shock, and sorrow. The war left millions dead and wounded and left behind millions of widows and orphans, in addition to the destruction of the global economy.
It is likely that no politician or even any ordinary person at that time thought it possible for another world war to break out soon, as the world was still in a state of shock and pain from the enormity of World War I and had not yet recovered from it. However, the world, heavily burdened with its wounds, soon fell into a quagmire of deteriorating health conditions that led to the collapse of the global health system, resulting in the Spanish flu pandemic, which quickly spread like wildfire across all countries and regions of the world, leaving behind hundreds of thousands of dead and sick, in one of the most severe global health disasters.
While the world had not yet recovered from its shock, signs of an international political crisis emerged in 1933 following the end of World War I. This crisis erupted after Hitler and the Nazis came to power in Germany. Hitler exploited the results of World War I—which he viewed as a grievance against Germany—to inflame German sentiments and rally them to support his claim to restore Germany's rights as he saw fit. He began to mobilize his armies, people, and armed forces to wage a new war, as if the world had not yet had enough of the shedding of all this blood and the horrific destruction that befell the majority of the countries involved in World War I.
The spark of World War II ignited due to Germany's invasion of Poland to reclaim the Danzig Corridor, which led Britain and France to declare war on Germany. Both countries announced their rejection of one country invading another with the aim of reshaping the European political map anew. However, that war, which initially broke out in Europe, spread like wildfire to many countries around the world, extending its flames to Africa and the Far East.
There is no doubt that many factors and reasons drove those countries to engage in the furnace of World War II against their will. Wars ignite from the smallest sparks, which weighs heavily on the world today, especially with the intensification of conflicts in several regions. Here we are witnessing a war raging between Russia and Ukraine with no signs of a near resolution to stop it, and there is a hidden crisis smoldering between the two nuclear neighbors, India and Pakistan, which everyone fears could erupt at any moment, jeopardizing the security and stability of the region and the world as a whole.
In addition to the ongoing crises in Yemen, Sudan, and Gaza, igniting the Middle East with a new conflict does not seem to be a logical solution to settle any dispute, regardless of its nature. We cannot underestimate what Israel is doing with its continuous bombardment. Israel is no longer adhering to specific objectives with its military strikes and is indifferent to the extent of the destruction it causes in the region or to the reactions of world leaders and peoples towards it. It strikes forcefully and randomly in what seems to be an attempt to redraw the map of the region to suit itself only, yet unfortunately, it finds support and encouragement from major powers that stand behind it and support it in direct and indirect ways.
In the midst of the rapidly unfolding events, we have the right to wonder whether a third world war will break out soon, which is, by nature, a logical and even expected question. While world and regional leaders believe that all these ongoing conflicts are under control and that their outcomes may be predetermined, they overlook the fact that the first and second world wars were not planned to spiral out of control and leave behind such a massive number of casualties and an enormous amount of destruction. As events become more complex, conflicts seem poised for further expansion and spread. Major fires start from a faint flame that appears as if it will extinguish on its own, yet fires always ignite from the smallest sparks.
It is likely that no politician or even any ordinary person at that time thought it possible for another world war to break out soon, as the world was still in a state of shock and pain from the enormity of World War I and had not yet recovered from it. However, the world, heavily burdened with its wounds, soon fell into a quagmire of deteriorating health conditions that led to the collapse of the global health system, resulting in the Spanish flu pandemic, which quickly spread like wildfire across all countries and regions of the world, leaving behind hundreds of thousands of dead and sick, in one of the most severe global health disasters.
While the world had not yet recovered from its shock, signs of an international political crisis emerged in 1933 following the end of World War I. This crisis erupted after Hitler and the Nazis came to power in Germany. Hitler exploited the results of World War I—which he viewed as a grievance against Germany—to inflame German sentiments and rally them to support his claim to restore Germany's rights as he saw fit. He began to mobilize his armies, people, and armed forces to wage a new war, as if the world had not yet had enough of the shedding of all this blood and the horrific destruction that befell the majority of the countries involved in World War I.
The spark of World War II ignited due to Germany's invasion of Poland to reclaim the Danzig Corridor, which led Britain and France to declare war on Germany. Both countries announced their rejection of one country invading another with the aim of reshaping the European political map anew. However, that war, which initially broke out in Europe, spread like wildfire to many countries around the world, extending its flames to Africa and the Far East.
There is no doubt that many factors and reasons drove those countries to engage in the furnace of World War II against their will. Wars ignite from the smallest sparks, which weighs heavily on the world today, especially with the intensification of conflicts in several regions. Here we are witnessing a war raging between Russia and Ukraine with no signs of a near resolution to stop it, and there is a hidden crisis smoldering between the two nuclear neighbors, India and Pakistan, which everyone fears could erupt at any moment, jeopardizing the security and stability of the region and the world as a whole.
In addition to the ongoing crises in Yemen, Sudan, and Gaza, igniting the Middle East with a new conflict does not seem to be a logical solution to settle any dispute, regardless of its nature. We cannot underestimate what Israel is doing with its continuous bombardment. Israel is no longer adhering to specific objectives with its military strikes and is indifferent to the extent of the destruction it causes in the region or to the reactions of world leaders and peoples towards it. It strikes forcefully and randomly in what seems to be an attempt to redraw the map of the region to suit itself only, yet unfortunately, it finds support and encouragement from major powers that stand behind it and support it in direct and indirect ways.
In the midst of the rapidly unfolding events, we have the right to wonder whether a third world war will break out soon, which is, by nature, a logical and even expected question. While world and regional leaders believe that all these ongoing conflicts are under control and that their outcomes may be predetermined, they overlook the fact that the first and second world wars were not planned to spiral out of control and leave behind such a massive number of casualties and an enormous amount of destruction. As events become more complex, conflicts seem poised for further expansion and spread. Major fires start from a faint flame that appears as if it will extinguish on its own, yet fires always ignite from the smallest sparks.



