The Tolling Bells of Eastern Europe
The 49th G7 summit is currently underway in Hiroshima and the location couldn't be more relevant.
In 1945, 20-year-old Akiko Takakura found herself at the gates of hell as they opened in Hiroshima. Her haunting account emerged years later during a peace program led by the Hiroshima Peace Cultural Center and Japan's public broadcasting company, hoping to record the devastation for history. Akiko's recollections vividly describe the sight of fingers catching fire and the gradual spread of flames across entire bodies like human matchsticks. They stand as a testament to the human cost of atomic warfare.
Ms. Takakura happened to be inside a bank in Hiroshima when the bomb was dropped. She and those around her were civilians, ordinary people going about their lives, who became unwilling witnesses to one of the most significant catastrophes in modern history. The sight left her in utter disbelief. “I, I was so shocked to know that fingers and bodies could be burned and deformed like that. I just couldn't believe it.” The sheer magnitude of suffering experienced by those in Hiroshima surpasses comprehension.
"Therefore, send not to know, for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee."
- John Donne's Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions. Borrowed in 1940 by Ernest Hemingway in For Whom the Bell Tolls.
It’s important to recognize that there have been significant developments in nuclear technology since the end of the Second World War. As devastating as the attacks on Nagasaki and Hiroshima were, they would pale in comparison to a modern atomic attack.
The 49th G7 summit, which began yesterday, is being held in Hiroshima of all places. Protests remind the city’s streets of the haunting legacy of nuclear weapons fueling their fight. Videos show the protesters articulating their sentiment, one woman explained, “Biden is in Hiroshima and he’s brought a button along to fire a nuclear missile.” Joe Biden, according to her and the other protesters, owes the people of Hiroshima an apology. I venture to say he owes it to the world, and recommend no one hold their breath in anticipation.
Hiroshima is an interesting city of choice for the proliferation of reckless violence. A push to control and ultimately weaponize artificial intelligence lead to the establishment of a ministerial forum ironically called the “Hiroshima Process.” It’s as if they wish to rub the local history in the world’s face, perhaps to remind us all of their god-like power. From the spotlight on Zelensky - conveniently once again out of Kiev - to misrepresentations regarding the strength of the Russian army, the summit seems to be entirely disingenuous and delusional in nature.
Conversations with sources, including independent journalists and soldiers on the ground, reveal a situation vastly distinct from the narrative being portrayed in Hiroshima. In reality, it appears highly unlikely that NATO is capable of securing a military triumph in this conflicts especially if the ties within the emerging "new global South" continue to fortify. The summit’s denunciation of Chinese assistance to Russia serves as a glaring testament to this reality, as do proposals of a Korean-style ‘freeze,’ in the conflict, an option Russia is unlikely to consider. According to those on the ground, Ukrainian air-defense systems are almost entirely inoperable, permitting unrestrained attacks causing unprecedented destruction.
A war of attrition can only go on for so long before it must end. A diplomatic solution seems increasingly unlikely, forcing those of us tuned into the conflict to consider the possibility of a situation similar to that witnessed by Ms. Takakura. Her story reminds us that of all collective responsibilities we bear in this life, repeating the nuclear travesties of the past is paramount.
- The Shultz Report by M. Shultz