The book that wants to save us from hell

The book titled, ‘How to avoid World War III’, written by Hang Nguyen and Jamal Qaiser candidly casts light on the horrors of warfare, both political and religious as well as its impact on the people. It gives hope to those who have a belief that the UN can become a vehicle for preventing such inhumane scenarios.

The work has many segments and chapters, each chapter subdivided evocatively into palatable pieces of precise info. In the eyes of authors, the United Nations can prove to be an effective apparatus for preventing conflict that it was always meant to be.

Born out of war, the UN has sought to curtail the plagues of a past characterized by two world wars. The UN intended to bring the major military powers together with the main task of maintaining international peace and security.

It addressed the challenges with different peace and security initiatives. It focused on peace operations, nuclear disarmament, and humanitarian intervention to maintain international peace and security.

The book analyses the UN strategies. It conjures up an optimistic image of the UN and has a message for those who may be unbelievers of the relevance of the UN in the modern-day.

The authors of this book wholeheartedly stand up for the United Nations. They see the United Nations to play a stronger role in preventing World War III. Wars affect civilians disproportionately and cross the red lines laid by the laws of armed conflict. Conflict situations cause more mortality and disability than any major disease.

Wars destroy communities and families and often disrupt the development of the social and economic fabric of nations. The effects of war include long-term physical and psychological harm, as well as a reduction in material and human capital. Other consequences include endemic poverty, malnutrition, disability, economic/ social decline, and psychosocial illness, to mention only a few.

In the current era, the machinery of war and the available firepower has increased dramatically. The risks of World War III are enormous. If we add in all the means and methods of warfare - conventional, nuclear, cyber, drones, and so on, we have the potential to destroy ourselves.

After World War II, we established the United Nations with the main resolve to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. The European Union grew over decades from a trade treaty to an organization that won the Nobel Peace Prize for its part in transforming Europe from a continent of war to a continent of peace.

The book is worthy of a place on the bookshelf, particularly if the United Nations is of interest to the reader. The book gives us a wake-up call. It is a plea for peace. It is about doing everything possible to avert the unthinkable, World War III. And the author wishes to use his name as a peace activist or champion of peace.