The Light in Us

Keval Bavishi, reporting from the CJTF – OIR (Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve) discusses the moral subjectivity involved in the fight against the ISIS.

“This world is rotten, and those who are making it rot deserve to die. Someone has to do it, so why not me?” - Light Yagami

One of the most complex characters in the history of anime, Light Yagami’s vision of the world was ideal in its purest sense. As the quote above says, he had taken up the responsibility to end all evil surrounding humanity, for once and for all. The very idea, in its most fundamental approach is something we all seek deep down. Despite not being politically correct, his was a vision that fascinated millions of people. Yet, at the end of the day, the question arises – Isn’t there a Light in all of us?

If we start looking for a Light Yagami in the international community, most would point their fingers towards the United States of America (USA). A nation, with intentions so noble, which are too good to be true. If we take into consideration the role of America in the Middle East, especially in the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, the first impression would be that of respect and awe.

One can simply not ignore the efforts put in by a nation to secure the lives of millions of people who barely have anything to do with their own affairs. The billions of dollars invested by a country in the security of another continent, is beyond imaginable. Thousands of Americans have sacrificed their lives in their decade and a half old war against terrorism. Yet, why is it that the involvement of the United States of America in any conflict in the world reeks of caution and suspicion?

Only when you read between the lines do you realize that all that glitters is not gold. In fact in the modern world politics, there is no gold, there is no glitter. Despite making the tall claims about adhering to the international laws and conventions, the nation has had a significant share of controversies, especially in the Middle East. There is a line dividing justice and revenge, though the United States of America seeks neither. The underlying purpose of most of their ventures into the Middle East is to gain control of the oil trade and fuel markets. One of Light Yagami’s core traits was insecurity, on which he acted too often. Similarly, the United States of America has, time and again, highlighted their insecurities with their allies. The recent Indo-Russian talks prompted the United States of America to withdraw support for India at a crucial World Trade Center vote.

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ight Yagami, for the thirst of power, ended up killing the innocent as well. Similarly, America has its own brand of justice, especially when it entered Afghanistan and ruined the nation masquerading as the pillars of peace and security. Contrary to popular belief, the USA along with the coalition forces has killed more than double the number of civilians than the ISIS. The contrast between women and children who lost their lives as “collateral damage” is even more alarming. [1] The airstrikes conducted by the USA have a rough accuracy of 45%-55%, which is appalling to say the least. At least, Light Yagami knew who he was killing; the Americans seem to have stopped caring about it now.

Light was driven by a strong ambition, an ambition to change the world for the better. He envisioned a world where people would think twice before committing a crime, but as a famous man once said, extreme power invites challenge, and challenge incites the evil. Similarly, despite their best efforts, the Americans have never been able to establish long lasting peace in any of the nations they have set their foot on. They have always invited resistance: resistance which is driven by their hatred for the nation. Presently, the balance of international peace and security is stuck within an infinite loop, whereby the more the world tries to suppress terror, the stronger it emerges. Another stroke of co-incidence is the presence of the arch nemesis – the Russian Federation. Like L, who was well aware of the tricks Yagami had up his sleeve, Russia seems to have an answer to almost every USA action in the Middle East. In the present scenario, Russia has a Death note of its own, which is what has kept the USA from taking certain extreme measures till now.

One thing that the masses fail to grasp, is that there is nothing known as absolute morality anymore. Given how dynamic and fast paced the generation is, all that can be taken into consideration is the “greater good.” The USA, even though tries to maintain an image of a just nation, has time and again gotten its hands dirty. As the reporter mentioned before, there is a Light in all of us. The very fact that we are rooting for the USA at the end of the day, proves that there is a Light all around us. We are all stuck in a tunnel, and there you have him, waiting at the end of it for you. It is extremely difficult to not give in to the urge to embrace the light, but at some point we all do give in – be it the United States of America or Russia. The Deathnote is real, and while we discuss the next plan of action to counter global terrorism, who knows whose name is being written next.

Sources:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/us-coalition-air-strikes-isis-russia-kill-more-civilians-march-middle-east-iraq-syria-network-for-a7663881.html