There is no fail-safe on the horizon to avert it! Let us just hope for its postponement. In less than six years, we would be knocking on the 14th year of the twenty first century. We are but a few odd years away from the centenary of WWI.

WWIII is not going to be the failure of diplomacy. It would be due to failure of global transparency in the vital matters of water, food and fuel. WWI, in part, was waged for the control of the then, known oil fields. And the WWII was fuelled by the then known oil fields.! Germans did have the U boats, V rockets, nuclear technology plus Jet engines, but they did not have the time or access to the oil supply. They lost, so did the Japanese. They could not withstand unclear attacks.

WWIII shall be ignited by humble: Hunger!! It would, though, affect the otherwise disposable multitudes of the lessor world, but for sure, shall trigger the global chain reaction. Rice would start it. (Oh! For God sake not: Her Excellency Dr Condoleezza Rice). Just the minion food grain, the staple for billions. It requires a lot of fresh water for its intense short cropping seasons. Heavenly water is going through wild mood-swings.

During the ensuing period, Dr Rice would already be basking in the radiant glory of her best-seller regarding the “Come-ons” and her “put-offs” of global persona-non-grata. There would, however, be a chapter dedicated to the reign of Premier Vladimir Putin. Remember, she is an authority on Cold War Commotions. Her next keenly awaited treatise could be dedicated to bio-diversity and bio-fuels – in politics.

Pervez Musharraf would be under contract to write his bio-graph, possibly titled to be the: IRE of PCO aka: public call offices, otherwise known as the media. And its VD (visiual / digital) after-effects.

Dr Zafar Altaf shall publish a collage of his printed columns, aptly titled: Didn’t I warn you?

Hassan Abbas, the brilliant Kennedy School of Government scholar, would publish the: Reform Agenda – as visualized by him. No reasons would, however be obvious, as to why it was shoved to the back burner – when it was discretely presented in MMVIII.

Ambassador Hassain Haqqani would have authored a “Hand Book” to build suspension bridges across oceans. Mushahid Hussain Syed would have compiled a “guide” regarding: Do’s & Don’ts of polities and journalism. Agha Murteza Pooya would not write anything, because he knows the core gambit.

Did you folks say: “What about Shaukat Aziz?” Instant response would be: Who is she?.

Recently, Pakistani media have re-discovered a new expression. It is called: Civil Society. With perpetual and recurring loadshedding this civil society ceases to be “Civil”, as often. The expressions of their outrage, match frequent power outage/s and is multi-faceted. A die-hard Punjabi is busy collecting donations from other offectees. He calls his act, for a noble cause. He intends to institute a candle-lit, though belated and remote, Nikah ceremony of the parents of an economic Czar – who failed to address, in time, our national energy demand forecasts!

And that reminds me of a Soviet era anecdote. During the last and lost days of Soviet Union, a highly offensive stenciled graffito appeared on the river side of the Kremlin wall. A high powered committee was constituted to investigate the heinous crime. As directed, the team chief promptly reported back with a “good news” and a “bad news”.

The good news was that the criminal, – one from the inner circle – had been captured and eliminated. The had news was that the hand writing of the stencil was proven to be that of the most favorite mistress of the KGB boss!

Our top-to-toe sweating misery offers a genuine opportunity for Uncle Sam to win our hearts and minds.

Armed Forces of the United Stated do equip and maintain their several bases around the globe with stand-by gensets. They are all packaged, portable and well maintained. Irrespective of their actual running hours on record, they are disposed off, after a due duration. That’s how their defence industry warrants, donates and votes.

In case they so choose, the gensets could be donated / leased to the state of Pakistan to get over its current dire state. Like express import of energy saver bulbs, these gensets could be inverted to 220/440 volts, 50 cycle. Let FATA be the primary recipient. They are addicted to free electricity. Their tandoors are duly equipped to run on 220/50 – like their FM radio transmitters.

Potomology, prompt and professional, coupled with effective groundwater recharge programme/s could postpone, if not avert the possibility of WWIII.

Valiant tribesmen of FATA should not be shoved to trespassing, trading, tracking, trucking and trafficking.

Uncle Sam is funding and facilitating special Economic Zones. But any industrial activity there would beg for more water. Provision of water security to that region would warrant the express recharge of their fragile groundwater. The topography of the terrain does not provide natural seepage of the rain / flood water, to recharge aquifer/s.

During 1962 General Ayub Khan was scheduled for an official visit to United States. American administration, then, expected him to present a wish-list of weapons and hardware for his war machine. The flip side was stark, naked & dreadful.

Indus Valley farmland was plagued by the twin-menace of: Water-logging and salinity. Earlier, an American organization called ICA (International Cooperation Agency) consultants had thoroughly and empirically researched the vast extent of the damage caused by water logging. Millions of acres of land had been rendered as non-productive wasteland. Pakistan could no more sustain itself, even marginally self sufficient, in food and forage factors. In addition, the Indus water dispute with India had been fiercely contested in New York. But for the American brokered: Indus Basin Treaty, a war between two neighbours was on the cards. That was however, postponed by 150 weeks, and the following one happened just twice as many weeks, thereafter! During intermissions, World Bank (IBRD) funded two major dams; Mangla and Trabela; a few barrages and a network of link canals. All this man-made, in lieu of the natural flows of the Ravi, Sutlej and Beas Rivers!

US AID funded and launched several SCARPS (Salinity Control and Reclamation Projects) in Pakistan. American Congress had passed: PL – 480 (Public Law, listed as 480, to provide their surplus wheat to Pakistanis in native currency. Freight, though, had to be paid in US Dollars. A lot of the carpet beggars, privy to the transaction, made vulgur scams out of this humanitarian gesture.

Hunger and wars were staved-off but for short durations. Ambassador Extra-ordinary and Plenipotentiary His Excellency Joseph S. Farland, was the American suzerain in Pakistan for good part of that period. He had a reputation beyond borders and he jealously defended it. Occasionally flouted it.

The supreme commander of American forces, President George W. Bush, has singled out Pakistan as the sole source of next threat to global peace. Apprehensions are real that al-Qaeda can become bey-Qaeda.

MRS Robin Raphael – who knows Pakistan better – made a special trip and had privileged communications with the powers-to-be, in the new PDA government.

General Hood – who can make meteor rocks confess of earthly crimes, is slated to be planning his next assignment in Islamabad. I wish they were just one person Robin + Hood – as in the fables. The World Bank has launched a “New Deal”, to fight hunger and poverty and urged Governments to take action against the food crises, that have sparked deadly unrest in developing countries. Food prices have nearly doubled over the past three years. This could push 100 million people in poorer Countries to hopeless abyss. World Bank president Robert H. Zoellick, expressed his concern while presiding over the spring meeting of IBRD board. He suggested “New Deal”.

Deal or no deal, something has to be done on war footings, if the inevitable has to be postponed?