Is World War 3 around the corner?
Hate is taking over Love and Superman is nowhere to be seen.
As a kid in the ’70s and ’80s, I grew up with heroes. Luke Skywalker, Superman, G.I. Joe, He-Man, Batman. Good and evil were simple. The hero always saved the day.
I carried that belief into adulthood, thinking someone would show up when things went bad. Maybe it was my U.S. education. Maybe it was growing up in a good family. But I genuinely believed someone, somewhere, would stop injustice when it mattered most.
Of course, that’s not how the world works.
In school, they taught me Christopher Columbus “discovered” America. They didn’t say Cristóbal Colón colonized it in the name of the Spanish monarchy. From the beginning, we’re fed oversimplified stories that hide brutal truths.
History is messy and fascinating. The deeper I dig, especially into war and conflict, the more I realize how much we’ve been lied to. Governments lie. Media distorts. Institutions stall. And worse, many people are still living inside those lies.
The Myth of Rescue
Let’s talk about heroes.
Take Gaza, for example. I think constantly about the children and their parents and wonder if they, too, are waiting for someone to save them.
When I look at my son’s face, I feel the weight of every parent who has lost a child to war and politics. One life is everything to me. Why isn’t it everything to the world? Where is the authority stepping in to protect the innocent?
I’ve sent money for aid. I’ve spoken out. I’ve written this. Maybe it’s not enough, but silence would be worse. What makes it unbearable is that the aid itself is being blocked. That fact alone enrages me.
Institutions Aren’t Heroes
We don’t have Superman. We have institutions. The UN, NATO, ICC, ICJ, INTERPOL, FATF. All built after global catastrophes to stop the next one.
Once, the U.S. was seen as the world’s police. I wish it would re-take their leading peace keeping and defending reputation through better foreign policy and a longterm vision of our world.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki proved modern war means potential total destruction. The “peace” that followed WWII wasn’t peace. It was fear, held in place by nuclear threat (Called the Cold War that I believe still exists).
These institutions, meant to prevent another Nazi Germany, now hesitate. They act in self-interest or collapse under pressure. And when they’re needed most, like in Gaza or Ukraine, they fail.
I don’t believe that the US, Russia and Europe can’t come together to control nuclear risks and unite for peace.
A History of Looking Away
We have a history of evidence of institutions deciding to look away and leave vulnerable people to die. Why not use these to change?
Rwanda (1994)
• Failure: The United Nations (UN) and world powers refused to provide more troops or change the mission's rules of engagement to stop the killing.
• Result: The inaction allowed a genocide to continue, leading to the slaughter of over 800,000 people in just 100 days.
Srebrenica (1995)
• Failure: The UN designated Srebrenica as a "safe zone" but did not provide the military force needed to defend it from Serb forces.
• Result: The UN peacekeepers were overrun, and over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were executed.
Syria (2011 onward)
• Failure: The UN Security Council was paralyzed by vetoes from Russia and China, preventing any unified international action to stop the violence.
• Result: The conflict escalated into a massive civil war, killing hundreds of thousands and displacing millions of people.
Libya (2011)
• Failure: After helping to overthrow Gaddafi, the international coalition, led by NATO, failed to create a plan for what came next.
• Result: The country descended into chaos, leading to a period of violence, instability, and the rise of extremist groups.
Iraq (2003)
• Failure: The U.S.-led coalition that invaded Iraq failed to put a proper plan in place for post-war governance.
• Result: The country was left in a state of chaos, which led to a years-long insurgency, sectarian civil war, and hundreds of thousands of deaths.
Afghanistan (2021)
• Failure: The U.S. and its allies failed to create a sustainable Afghan government and military before their withdrawal.
• Result: The Taliban quickly took over the country, undoing 20 years of progress in a week and causing a humanitarian crisis.
And now Gaza. Many innocent have died, thousands have been displaced from their homes and live children are starving as I write— not due to lack of food, but because aid is deliberately blocked [2]. International courts have ruled against these actions. Still, nothing changes.
Yes, Hamas’s attack on October 7 was horrific and must be condemned. Over a thousand Israelis were killed. This must be persecuted and tried in the Israel justice system if possible. But the reaction taken against Hamas has been executed over all of Gaza and has killed around 30,000 lives and many of them innocent Palestinians.
So I ask again. Where are the institutions that were built to protect innocent people?
I’m not asking the UN to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since its been tried by many and clearly failed. I’m asking them to stop the killing of innocent people and especially children. Im asking that hospitals and aid are protected and assured for all casualties and the most in need. That should be the minimum.
Right now, hate is being cemented. When you kill someone’s child, there’s no negotiation that can erase that. You create grief so deep that revenge becomes inevitable.
I am very concerned for both Israel and Palestine, I dont take sides to deep conflicts that are beyond me, but when any fight gets too dirty, someone needs to step in and stop it. We need dignity, decency, humanity and empathy to somehow, show up protect the most vulnerable.
Why It Keeps Happening
The pattern is clear where military intervention and bad foreign policy are mixed incorrectly.
Wars are created for the wrong reasons. Bombs dropped with no real precision. People die on both sides and more so on the attacked. Governments fall. No one rebuilds. Nations fail.
After World War II, Germany and Japan were rebuilt into democracies. Why? Because the Allies learned their lesson after World War I. They saw what over-punishing Germany had led to. So they tried something different.
But Iran? Iraq? Libya? Afghanistan? Palestine? Western intervention leaves destruction, not democracy.
Meanwhile, war is profitable. Arms industries thrive. Proxy wars grow. Peace doesn’t pay. Now with Ai and drones, who knows what countries will create to destroy even more faster and at lower costs. This is not sustainable just like nuclear nukes are not necessary for the world if we have strong institutions and global alliances for peace & freedom.
Look at Ukraine. Russia justifies its attacks on Ukraine because of Nato expansion and Nato justifies its expansion because they are afraid of Russian expansion. don't buy it. The same fear the U.S. had during the Cuban Missile Crisis, is the same fear the Russians have if Nato sets up a military base in Ukraine.
I’m sure there is a better way that War and death.
When security concerns are ignored, conflict follows. And civilians always pay the price.
I’m not defending Russia. But diplomacy exists for a reason. When the stakes are nuclear, war should be completely off the table. I admire the Ukrainian people for their courage but this war is sustained for other’s interests. I wish I was wrong but my research tells me otherwise.
Europe Must Step Up
I believe Europe must be a force for change and good in the world, they lived first hand the destruction of their countries and cities after 2 World Wars, and know that they can’t afford another world war. They can, and must fix the Ukraine-Russia war through diplomacy.
It’s nations are among the most advanced societies in the world. If they come together for the sake of European security and for global influence, they will succeed.
France, Germany, UK, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Greece, the Nordic countries, Eastern Europe united are a force to be reckoned with. I’m sure they can deal with Russia and come to a better solution that war.
Time is running out. Every day more children die. Every day hate spreads. We already have everything we need to create peace. We just don’t seem to want it enough.
What Must Change
We don’t need Superman.
We need empathetic & strong leadership.
We need institutions that are independant & function.
We need moral courage from everyone.
Here’s what I means:
The UN must end its paralysis. Reform the veto system or become irrelevant.
Control the Nuclear risks through global collaboration and new Nuclear independent commission where every country has a say. It’s everyone’s world.
End profit in war. No government should answer to weapons manufacturers before its people.
End pervasive lobbying through high-level supervision and audit to assure public servant serve the public.
Politicians must be well incentivized but must have other endeavors to sustain their lives. Politicians who live off the system, corrupt the system and themselves,
Rebuild what we break. No intervention without a binding plan to rebuild.
Protect the innocent. If children aren’t safe, your system has failed.
Let’s stop imposing our version of reality on others. Let’s start listening. Let’s try to understand each other. Help each other. Make safety and freedom possible for all. Let’s assess real risks and not simply speculate that war is coming and we must live with paranoia.
The Real Choice
Superman isn’t coming.
It’s up to us to hold our leaders and institutions accountable.
If Gaza, Syria, Libya, Iraq, and Afghanistan are proof of anything, it’s this. If we don’t change, the future will belong not to protectors, but to war, greed, and revenge.
And yes, I believe we are standing at the edge of a third world war. If it turns nuclear, there is no coming back.
Sources
Wikipedia, Israeli–Palestinian Conflict, updated August 2025
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli%E2%80%93Palestinian_conflictThe Guardian, “A New Abyss: Gaza and the Hundred Years’ War”, April 2024
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/11/a-new-abyss-gaza-and-the-hundred-years-war-on-palestineWikipedia, International Response to the Rwandan Genocide
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_response_to_the_Rwandan_genocideUnited Nations, Rwanda Genocide Historical Background
https://www.un.org/en/preventgenocide/rwanda/historical-background.shtmlIsrael–Palestine Timeline, Fatalities Chart
https://israelpalestinetimeline.org/chartsTime Magazine, What to Know About Nakba Day, May 2024
https://time.com/6978612/nakba-day-historyAP News, Nakba Anniversary and Palestinian Memory, May 2023
https://apnews.com/article/b5cea9556e516655c25598d5dbe54192