In today’s world, while the developing nations are required to act nationally, the developed ones are expected to act globally. But the developed nations have chosen to act more narrowly in the name of nationalism. This way internationalism or international movement is bound to come to an end. Ideologically, Mao Tse Tung of China was the last visionary leader to think in global terms. Then there are international organisations like the UN, but they do not have any concern for any movement. They are unions of nations, not of the people. Such associations are obsolete in this age of liberal democracy.

Association of people at the international level is needed to put forward the theme of international socialist society, which would generate a new hope among the depressed youth. There is frustration because the youth, mostly in the developing nations, don’t see any ray of hope. On the other hand, there are the jobless ones in developing countries.

The concept of a universal socialist society is not for the sake of ideals only. In reality that concept is but a demand of the times and contemporary world events. It needs acceptance in principle. This may provide a way out for both types of nations — the extremely poor and abundantly rich — who meet in international forums on the basis of national equality. But it seems superficial. Only economic or trade behaviour is substantive to make parties feel closer.

Today’s world leaders are wise enough to understand the problems, but the question is how much freedom they can exercise to truly sympathise with the depressed lot. Metaphorically speaking, they seem to epitomise the man who can have a look at a large horizon from the prison-window but is not free to travel there to have a taste of fresh air. Only socialistic minds may be able to organise the people on ideological basis.

What ideology is guiding the present world? What is the binding element or force to unite the people, though technological advancement has brought them closer? Should we not search for the answers in time? One day the present achievement itself, without the sense of internationalism and sane ideological support, may be like a Bhasmasur or Frankenstein, who attempted to smash his own mentor to prove his own superiority. How to save the young mass from frustration has become a universal problem now.

Today, every young man seeks recognition and his place in society and the same applies to a nation. Today’s mercantile society ignores this problem trying to idealise the crude theory of survival of the fittest by generating the spirit of competition. This is neither sensible nor rational. Competitiveness is a fine mechanism devised by the highly skilled managers to justify the fairness of exploitation, which results in frustration among youths.

It is not less frustrating either that the present society is guided by traders rather than philosophers, idealists or socialists. Most leaders, especially those of the developed countries, think and act in terms of trade. They develop roads and other means of transport and the system of communication globally to facilitate trade, but keep their scientific findings or their technical know-how a secret, holding copyright even for their new products. The more it goes globally, the more strict rules are framed to safeguard the interest of certain nations. To talk in the terms of global village thus sounds ridiculous. There are many places like Humla where a large chunk of population is in the same state as it was a hundred or a thousand years ago. One may plead that even in those places some education and communication does exist. But the real question is the speed and ratio of development. If Humla starts crawling, some other parts of the globe will run faster than their present speed. Perhaps, Humla symbolises many other parts of the globe where signs of prosperity have not reached.

Temperamentally, leaders of the developed nations seem more arrogant today than before. This tendency is not only distancing the people of certain caste, creed and colour from one another, but also deepening hatred towards each other. One may see outwardly the globe emerging as a village, and the other may feel inwardly the same globe breaking into pieces.

This is a conflict between the developed and the least developed countries and also between the haves and the have-nots. But the have-nots are not organised as a class. The haves have their organisation — the state. The socialist fervour that existed for centuries now seems to be evaporating. This way, more and more people will fall in the grip of frustration. It is possible to change this course once the least developed countries and the have-nots of the world forcefully react to the behaviour of the developed nations and the haves of the present day. Thus, the concept of universal socialist society as a movement is inevitable. It is not a mere wish, but an urge of the time and events.

Devkota is chairman of RPP (Rastrabadi)