Here they are “the new Dr. Strangelove”, as he calls them, “who appear on the horizon and demand that the bomb be armed”. And unfortunately this is not a film, says Sergio Mattarella, it is the reality of a world returning to balance: after seventy years of substantial peace, “dark times” could destroy “the dreams that courageous leaders aspired to”. War, racism, autocratic rule, Gaza, Ukraine, threats from the Kremlin. Fear of the atomic bomb. “We heard statements about the possibility of rethinking the rejection of nuclear weapons. Fears then emerged that we were entering a high-risk path, starting to open a new Pandora’s box.” All this was “facilitated by the spread of strong and unequivocal language at the international level demanding supremacy”. No, this is not good, we have to rebuild peace.
In short, we cleared the atomic bomb, this is the intention of the head of state’s alarm. Five black crosses, a solemn atmosphere, a policeman plays silence. Mattarella was in Berlin and spoke in the Bundestag on the occasion of the day of mourning. The heartfelt, programmatic speeches boiled down to “nie weider” used to condemn the Holocaust, will not happen again, but almost will, despite the 1997 treaty against nuclear proliferation. An agreement that, remember, has not yet been signed by major powers such as the United States, China, Iran, India, Egypt, Israel, North Korea and Moscow withdrew from the agreement two years ago. Black briefcase, codes, buttons to press. Doctor Strangelove. So now “one act can wipe out a city and the world’s innocence.”
But in the post-war period, he explained, with the birth of the UN and the Geneva Conventions, hope for a lasting peace based on law, based on the basic principle, that civilians must be protected in all circumstances, had emerged. It seems like. Maybe that works for a while. On the contrary, we have witnessed indiscriminate massacres in Biafra, the Balkans, Rwanda, and now in Sudan, Ukraine and the Gaza Strip. It is a fact, news that shows us that the war continues to have an impact especially on those who are not combatants. Quoting the UN report. More than 90 percent of conflict victims are civilians. This cannot be left unpunished and unpunished.
What to do? First of all, we must recognize that peace is not a fixed goal, but must be built and maintained, with constant efforts to achieve the values of coexistence and respect for rights. So we must firmly reiterate that the sovereignty of a nation is not reflected in the possibility of waging war against its neighbors. His message to Putin. The success of a nation does not necessarily result in injustice. Aggressive war is evil. And once again, we need to resist the tendency to cancel agreements and vacate international forums and organizations because only by relaunching dialogue and multilateralism can we hope for a return to peaceful coexistence.
The two world wars, Mattarella recalled, caused between 17 and 70 million victims. “Impressive numbers, and this is about people, not numbers.” The past returns. “How many deaths will it take before we stop viewing war as a tool to resolve disputes between nations? That war is used for a deliberate desire to dominate other nations?”. He was angry with Russia as well as with Israel because “nothing can justify the unjustifiable”, namely “the bombing of populated areas, the cynical use of hunger against the population, and sexual violence”.
We are witnessing “the systematic implementation of despicable practices of vengeance against innocent people.” Nowadays we no longer just want to defeat the enemy, “but want to destroy him”. He closed with an appeal to Europe. “We cannot let our dreams be crushed. We stand for values and democracy.”
