Book Review

Nadia Mehak
In an explosive description of American military misadventures, Hang Nguyen and Jamal Qaiser shed light on global mechanisms of power that prompt war machine with an unprecedented candour. Elucidating proxy tragedies of contemporary world, “The Western Fiasco” is an incredible attempt to unravel rationale and superpower intrigue behind proxy wars. Questioning the political slumber of United Nations, the writers also raised drivers of peace, relevance of Western bloc and international institutions while lamenting persistent suffering of civilians. Magnificently explaining extension of superpower rivalry in Afghanistan, Syria and Ukrainian theatre of war, it advocates for humanity`s right to peace under international law. The heart of argument resides against unbridled covert and overt military interventionism for sake of geopolitical designs. With historical precedents, it also highlights fundamental flaws in international system of collective security, lofty ideals of international disarmament and the settlement of possible disputes between states through an arbitration tribunal. In a spellbinding account of an epic disaster, it narrates the inauspicious culmination of terrorism into deadly adventure in Afghanistan, misjudgement of the social and political environment of country, while comparing 2021 Kabul with 1975 Saigon. Triggering doubts about raison d’être of WOT, “The Western Fiasco” phenomenally builds case against botched Western effort of inadvertently fuelling more terrorism, it argues that Western bloc has bequeathed internationally active terrorist organisations with state-of-the-art weaponry originating from US stocks. Terming an inevitable consequence of muscular internationalism, it discusses the new waves of refugees and ensuing discord in Europe. Rendering Syrian quagmire as ‘Small World War’, it elucidates clash of Great Power interests in Syrian theatre of war, UN’s divisiveness, implosion of terrorist tendencies and apocalyptic humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged country. It further debunks UN`s paralysis against the backdrop of Syrian cauldron owing to diametrically opposite interests of various stakeholders involved in this protracted civil war. Offering a detailed look on Ukrainian quagmire, it terms byzantine intrigues regarding the embattled country as ‘New Cold War’. It further laments that international community had not taken advantage of the preceding three years to de-escalate the situation in Ukraine. Striking an ominous prediction, it detailed different scenarios whereby Cold War regarding Ukraine could have turned into real war. In a nutshell, this candid account delves deep into mercurial world of war-mongering and consequent havoc it wreaks upon proxy theatres. It attempts to debunk shocking cruel face of refugee crisis by sharing tragic highlights of major refugee waves. Posing serious concerns about waning necessity of peace in contemporary world against the backdrop of smouldering “Cold War 2.0”, it offers a marvellous vision towards cherished goal of peace.