What Did We Learn from Nagasaki After 79 Years?

by, Osamah Al-Samarrayi 

The annual peace anniversary in Nagasaki, a city forever marked by the horrors of atomic warfare, is meant to be a reminder of the devastating consequences of conflict, the danger nuclear weapons present to humanity and the importance of peace. Yet this year’s event took on a different tone as some countries’ ambassadors chose not to attend the ceremony since the ambassador of the genocidal state of Israel was not invited. 

Despite the fact that the demonic ministers of Israel couldn’t hide their sick intentions of dropping an atomic bomb on Gaza, starving Gazans to death or simply ethnically cleanse the 360 square kilometres stripe, the blind alliance seems to have missed whatever lessons or value it was supposed to get during the commemoration. 

The appalling mentality driving this boycott is a clear indication of the lengths to which these governments will go to protect their interests, even at the cost of supporting barbarism. The fact that these ambassadors could favour a murderous ally’s interest, let alone their own country’s interests, over thousands of Palestinian lives lost in the ongoing genocide in Gaza shows that the mentality that dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki 75 years ago has not changed much, if not worsened. 

This fact can be seen when looking at statements made by some top U.S. lawmakers, such as asking Zionists to ‘learn’ from the United States’ Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing and do “whatever it takes”. In a world where might often makes right, the lack of accountability for war crimes and atrocities continues to embolden governments like that of the war-criminal Netanyahu and his main partner the United States. 

The absence of meaningful consequences for such actions only perpetuates a cycle of violence, allowing war criminals to operate with impunity. The ‘jungle’ mentality that dominates international relations today is a direct cause of the ongoing atrocities we witness globally. Without a firm stand against such crimes, the world will continue to witness the horror of genocides, ethnic cleansing, and other grave violations of human rights. 

The alliance that dubs itself as ‘free’ and ‘democratic’ seems to define freedom according to convenience, or simply redefines who is considered to be human when it comes to human rights. It is alarming how certain immoral actions in these countries are defended under the guise of human rights, while the egregious crime of genocide is conveniently overlooked or minimized. 

Most of the boycotting governments would have a flag flapping on their embassies’ buildings every year supporting same gender relationships, some would publicly insult religious symbols, even in international events such as the Olympic games. 

The self-deceptive morality these governments represent is rather similar to the “central democracy” communist countries used to have. It not only undermines the very essence of human rights but also erodes the credibility of governments that claim to champion democracy and freedom. How is it possible to remain silent in the face of a genocide, yet loudly defend actions that, in truth, violate the dignity and basic rights of individuals? 

We shall have good faith and assume that at least some of these didn’t attend for some other genuine reasons, yet some ambassadors did not hesitate to make statements about their stance, declaring that equating the Israeli occupation, which killed thousands of innocent Palestinian women and children in just 10 months, with uninvited Russia and Belarus is not acceptable. Interestingly, the same ambassadors voluntarily decided to join the list of countries they considered doing no good for world peace. Good job!

Saving the world from other incidents like the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing and the ongoing slaughter in Gaza is possible only if the mindset that supports such acts changes.***