Operation Epic Fury
Nietzsche exclaimed as German nationalism was on the verge of exploding, "Without cruelty there is no festival." If anyone believes in such an insensitive statement, it is Donald Trump. At the early stages of the US-Iran conflict, he was quoted as having said that he might hit Kharg Island just "for fun." History records Roman emperors torturing human beings merely for "fun." He thought he would hastily eliminate Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, set up a compliant regime in Tehran and return home, like after an excursion. He compared the entire enterprise to an exciting "excursion" for his military team.

But things took another direction from the earliest stages. The elimination of a head of State posed no problem for someone who did not believe in the rule of law. Lawlessness becomes his law. But the speed with which Mojtaba Khamenei replaced him jolted Trump. In any case, a storm was already raging: Operation Epic Fury was let loose; Operation Roaring Lion gathered strength. Names are eloquent. One remembers Hitler's Operation Barbarossa. Trump's fury was expressed when he promised to "unleash hell". Lives were wiped out, and immense infrastructure was destroyed. A report said that in two days, the Iran war cost $5.6 billion in munitions alone.

"Peace-President" Bombs a Girls' School in Iran
Unending boasts began in Trumpian style! No qualms of conscience about the cruelty let loose. Senator Lindsay Graham thundered, bombing "bad guys" around the world is America's central mission. He did not say that capturing energy sources and robbing mineral assets is America's sole goal. Matters are too evident: Venezuelan oil, Greenland rare earths, and Iranian natural gas. Trump is aiming for energy dominance. And what is taking place is nothing less than "imperial plunder."

Pursuing this goal with singleness of purpose, America's "Peace President" goes to war. The Nobel-claimant Trump bombs a girls' school in Iran, killing 175. The total number of lives lost so far is put at 1,300. Add to it 72,000 killed in Gaza with Trumpian support, including civilians, women, and children. He takes on the pose as though he is the 'Emperor of the World': not accountable to anyone. No social codes bind him, no international agreement, no widely recognised ethical norms! What he decides is the wisest, most effective, best oriented to the well-being of humanity!

Indeed, as Abraham Lincoln had exclaimed, "There is nothing good in war except its ending." But is the war going to end?

Bomb for Bomb, Missile for Missile, while the World Watches
The unprovoked US aggression on Iran at the prodding of Israel was bound to meet with a response. Fighting for one's homeland releases hidden energies. Determination grows. The new Iranian Head of State, Mojtaba Khamenei, refused to budge an inch: warning for warning, threat for threat, missile for missile.

Israel has received heavy blows in diverse places, and American bases in allied states like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, or the UAE have been hit hard continuously. With Iranian resistance gathering strength, Trump called for a pause. Fearing foul play, Iran outright refused, ridiculed all American proposals, and laid down highly demanding conditions. Meanwhile, Houthis join the war, Russia lends support to Iran, and China warns the United States. Oil prices rise worldwide. Airfares fly high. The global economy is going chaotic.

Even a Lawless Leader longs for a manageable world order when things go beyond control. He longs for predictable relationships, meaningful conversation, and reliable promises. He longs for some sort of law that everyone can rely on. Impositions do not work. Warnings remain unheeded. He realises that his power has limits, that he can be victimised if everyone acts erratically, and that boasting makes him a buffoon. Trump's earlier European allies stand by watching, while he frantically pleads for help to open the Hormuz canal. Not a response.

Trump began his second term alienating everybody, including his NATO allies: tariffs, humiliations, lecturing on the Western civilisational future. Now he stands alone. MAGA has come to mean LAVA (Leave American Vanity Alone).

Unintended Suicide
More and more nations were already becoming inward-looking. Trump has accelerated the pace. Populist politics limit international interactions, raise concerns, and prompt concessions. With Trumpian dramatics, says Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the "Atlantic trust" (the EU-US trust) has been wiped out. He calls for its revival, not certainly in Trumpian terms.

JD Vance had alleged that Europe was on a suicide path, encouraging migrants. Trump has raced ahead, attacking Iran. The Roman Empire lost energy fighting the Persian Empire. The Habsburg and Ottoman Empires vanished amid the fighting of World War I. European Empires breathed their last in their suicidal conflict in World War II. The Western domination draws to a conclusion with World War III, or the irrational Iran blunder.

Many Asian leaders rejoice, admiring the determination of an Asian nation (Iran) to assert itself against the world's top power. There may need to be a limit to early rejoicings. Many Asians had rejoiced at the beginning of the last century when Japan defeated Russia in 1905. Such exultation ended early when Japan in turn began storming Asian strongholds and annexing space from Asian nations; and later, when Mao hit India in 1962 and humiliated a friend that had systematically fostered happy relationships with pre-independence Chinese leaders; when India and Pakistan clashed; when tensions grew on several borders.

These happenings made it clear that the 'suicide instinct' is not merely a Western feature, but an Eastern weakness as well. All humans are inclined to violence, but violence does not pay. Rashmi Baruah quotes Pope Leo XIV in Assam Tribune, who says, "Violence can never lead to the justice, stability and peace that people are waiting for." A rule-based order is equally important to the West as to the East. Social order is for everyone's benefit. Will Iran handle internal dissent responsibly? Will India?

Approval of Abuse of Power
If there is a perception of abuse of power by Donald Trump, and if there is a similar perception about the clerical regime in the Iranian Republic, the impression is not different about the BJP-RSS-led government in India. Arvind Kejriwal alleges that Narendra Modi is more moved by "lust for power" than commitment to the country. He refers to Amit Shah as the "Mota Bhai," who collaborates with him in developing "conspiracies" for capturing power. Modiji's foreign visits are so timed to distract people from domestic problems. But evidently, his Israel visit was ill-timed and his statements ill-advised. Or were they acutely planned and cleverly timed? Diverse interpretations are possible.

When Modi assured Netanyahu, "India stands firmly" with Israel, a couple of days before the US-Israel attack on Iran, did the assurance stand for his approval of the unfair venture? Did it stand for his approval of Israel's "barbaric actions" against the people of Gaza, a veritable 'genocide', the murder of 72,000 people? His huggology has not earned him a great name; it has only brought disgrace to the country, particularly when it comes to ignoring international opinion. Over 10 million Indians are working in the Middle East. Their lives, futures, and remittances may be affected. A partisan (ideological) handling of the situation can lead to painful consequences.

Actual Abuse of Power
Modiji is fully aware of the US report of declining religious freedom in India. There have been 747 documented incidents of violence against Christians in 2025. The Government of India has merely denied the allegation. Violence against minorities meets with the highest approval from the BJP-RSS regime. So, cow vigilantism continues. It meets with encouragement, particularly in BJP states. In 2018, CJI Dipak Mishra had said lynching must be curbed and crippled. But nothing has been done. CJI Surya Kant considers the 2018 general directions to prevent cow vigilantism and mobocracy "unmanageable." It is like the Government pleading helplessness.

Pushkar Singh Dhami, Uttarakhand CM, boasts that he has bulldozed hundreds of madrasas, mosques and mazars built on Government land. He is competing with Yogi Adityanath over the issue of "land jihad". The other day, a five-year-old child was seen giving a toy bulldozer to Yogi. Allahabad Court says that bulldozers threaten due process; it should be a last resort. But bulldozing goes on.

All criticism of such injustices is silenced. Even cartoons, satire, comedy, and humour are penalised. Political humour is going out of fashion in Modi's India. If anyone ventures to depict the Top Leader in a cartoon, 20 defamation cases may be filed against him, even from distant Gujarat. Himanta Biswa Sarma promises bulldozer action on 5 lakh bighas in Assam if he wins the elections. The Bulldozer has emerged as the visual symbol of his political campaign.

Where is Justice to be Found?
Special Judge, Jitendra Singh, found no evidence of the charges against Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, K Kavitha and 20 others. They have been released. What about compensation to them for the hardships imposed on such innocent victims, beginning with Father Stan Swami? What about action against false evidence-producers?

Sonam Wangchuk was released after 170 days in prison; the government revoked his detention under the National Security Act. Former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot questions the government's approach to judging national security. Wangchuk was imprisoned for affirming the rights of Ladakh. He should never have been arrested. Ladakhis call for democracy. Is the freeing of these unfairly accused individuals merely a pre-election tactic?

Recently, the National Bureau of Economic Research studied 1.5 neighbourhoods. They noticed that Muslims and scheduled castes remained concentrated in segregated localities. Due to recent tensions, ethnic/religious groups have become more intensely isolated from others. Muslim neighbourhoods had less piped water and fewer educational and health facilities. Discrimination and inequality were most evident. Do Hindutva elites have fellow feelings for these other Indians? Do Indians feel for Indians? Do humans feel for humans in BJP-RSS-led India?

Little wonder that Lucknow University Students' Union protested against Mohan Bhagwat's visit, calling him a "symbol of hatred in Indian society"... "a hate monger." They shouted "RSS Murdabad" with all their heart.

Mounting Inequality, Unfairness to Dalits and Tribals
The rich are becoming richer every day, while the poor are becoming poorer. India's billionaire count has risen to 308, ranking third after the US and China. They enjoy 10% increase in their wealth every year, amounting to ?112.6 trillion. Careful study has shown that upward mobility has declined in India and downward mobility has sharpened. In 2025, one in four households is worse off than in 2014. "Frustration has replaced aspiration." Lower castes have suffered the most, as have Muslims and tribals. Economic boundaries seem to harden, inequality leaping ahead. Stability weakens.

Deceptions multiply. It was reported that Modi distributed land pattas to 28,200 tea workers in Assam. Later, it was found that what was distributed were merely forms. Doors to hope close hastily for Dalits and tribals. The Odisha government has shut down Forest Rights Act cells. Rahul Gandhi has protested against calling tribals "Vanvasis." Voices of the tribals are hushed. They are made to suffer in various contexts, like the Dalits. FCRA rules are so contrived to cripple services to Dalits and tribals.

In a Varanasi market, ABVP students (the RSS wing among the students) harass goat sellers. In UP, a teacher hits a 10-year-old Dalit girl of class 5, for refusing, for reasons of ill health, to clean the toilet at Karsua. In Jharkhand, a Dalit was killed in Palamu District. Such things are daily occurrences. No one takes note.

Wounds Must be Healed, Not the Wounded Crushed
Mallujola Venugopal Rao, a surrendered Maoist, says, Maoists may be crushed, but Maoism will reappear in new forms as long as there is exploitation of natural resources in tribal areas. Anger remains! Amit Shah must remember that. The wounded must be healed, not crushed. Hindutva ideology may be proposed, not imposed. This would be equally valid in Kashmir, Manipur, Chhattisgarh or elsewhere in India.

As Trump is gradually learning that arrogance does not pay, Indian leaders must learn the same lesson. Unfortunately, they have been passing on the wrong lessons to young NRIs, who, in turn, are becoming arrogant, prodded by the BJP's self-glorification. So, we learn that 17 Indian students died in Canada due to 'violent attacks' between 2018 and 25, 9 in the US, 3 in Australia, 1 in the UK, 1 in China, 1 in Denmark, 1 in Germany, and 2 in Kyrgyzstan. Arrogance does not pay where respectful relationships are required.

If You Fight ...
The world is slow to learn. As the US intends to spend one trillion dollars on defence in 2026, China has hiked its defence budget by 7% to $277 billion. EU nations are furiously arming themselves. India has been the second biggest importer of arms between 2021 and 2025, and Pakistan is in 'open war' with Afghanistan.

Carlos Santana says, "If you fight with anger, you are part of the problem." We call for sober thinking, balance, and moderation. When peace efforts fail, Thomas Edison whispers to you, "The most certain way to succeed is always to try one more time."