Long Night, By Huzaifa Jega

Ladies and gentlemen, the world as we know it is over. Whether the Iran/Israel conflict ends in the best case scenario, i.e, with a ceasefire deal that sustains the status-quo, or it devolves into a larger regional war and eventually a global military showdown ushering in a Long Night, the world has ended.

The current global structure underpinned by the New World Order, which was proclaimed by the US-led western hegemonic establishment is on its last leg and will certainly not survive the decade. This is moreso with the emergence of the Global South led by Russia, China and the BRICS apparatus.

While this conflict is not the initiating trigger, it may well represent the last mail, or the proverbial feather that broke the camel’s back. Last Friday, the world woke up to the news of Israel’s massive attack on Iran, killing almost the entire Iranian military brass, nuclear scientists as well as 78 civilians across Iran.

Of course this means that the indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the US are dead. To the Iranian regime, the talks were all along a ruse… to fool Iran into lowering its guard so Israel could plan and execute the attack undetected.

The Americans were quick to distance themselves from Israel’s action at first, but days down the line it becomes clear that the US is part and parcel of Israel’s aggression with the US leadership openly using the term “we”, when discussing Israel’s successes and future actions.

Something quite interesting is that there were no western condemnation against the attack on Iran by Israel even though it was completely unprovoked and in the middle of dialogue.

The German chancellor was quoted at saying that Israel was doing their “dirty” work and should hence be supported. This is not to mention the fact that the US, UK, France and even Jordan are actively engaged in complementing Israeli air defense operations participating in shooting down projectiles fired by Iran towards Israel.

Should we make it through the Long Night, Pax Americana would be gone by morning. And as it is when civilizations or geopolitical structures collapse, there is an intervening interregnum characterized by chaos and uncertainty, a dark age, if you will.

It is fair to expect, going forward, that geopolitics will be dictated by survival of the fittest principle where might will always make right. It was as clear as day that Iran was savagely attacked by Israel, basically taking a dump on both international law and morality.

The so-called rules-based international order apparently does not apply to some but not others. The ICC Chief Prosecutor was quoted as saying that a senior western leader told him that the ICC was established to hold with “Africa and thugs like Putin” to account, not the “infallible” western allies no matter how much blood they spill.

For people like myself, this has been such sobering eye-opener. I must confess that at some point in my life while growing, I was somehow tempted to believe in the intellectual superiority of the West over the rest of the world. Intellectual superiority is supposed to mesh and overlap with moral transcendence but… lo and behold! These people are as malicious, petty, corrupt as everyone else if not much more.

Every country on earth must be watching and taking notes. As long as you have an excuse, and even the Nazis have an excuse for the Holocaust, you are allowed to “defend” yourself.

Since October 2023, Israel’s war to “defend” itself against Gaza has devastated a civilian population already trapped under siege. The systematic bombardment, destruction, and blockade have killed tens of thousands and created a humanitarian crisis of immense proportions. Far from a purely defensive act, this is a policy of ongoing aggression and subjugation.

Iran’s missile strikes, bizarrely portrayed by many Western leaders as reckless provocations, are retaliations born out of this sustained Israeli violence. The 13 June Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, killing scores of people, was not a spontaneous event but part of an aggressive escalation that Tehran responded to. This spiral of violence is rooted in Israel’s choice to pursue military dominance rather than peace.

This crisis has opened many an eye and reveals a deeper injustice: the West’s blatant double standards. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, western powers rapidly condemned aggression and rallied international law against the invader. Russia invaded Ukraine to forestall its admission into NATO, meaning there would be offensive military infrastructure, likely including nukes, trained on Russia. If Russia did not have the right to preempt such a scenario, then Israel also has no right to attack Iran to stop it from building nukes to defend itself with.

The irony is not lost on the rest of the world. Israel’s “pre-emptive” strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, an undeclared act of war, are met with muted responses and even tacit support. European leaders praised Israel’s “right to self-defence” while condemning Iran’s counterattacks. Germany called Israel’s strikes “targeted” but Iran’s retaliation “indiscriminate.” This selective morality damages the credibility of international law and leaves countries like Nigeria vulnerable to the fallout of wars they did not start.

Without a doubt, the war between Israel and Iran is not our war in a technical sense, but its consequences will challenge us nonetheless. The economic ripple effects hitting the world economy today stem from a conflict born of Israeli aggression and sustained by Western hypocrisy. As our world navigates rising prices and fiscal pressures, we must remember this truth and stand firm.

The Long Night is upon us. And by the time we wake up, the world would either be gone, or be unrecognizable from what it has been since the end of the Cold War.