When a state fails to learn the art of creation, it develops the skill of destruction. Pakistan has good human resources. Congo has diamonds and coaltan. Sudan has oil. These countries should be economically and socially rich. But they have failed to create large industrial units, political parties, student unions, scientific institutions, and Olympic medals. Facing a failure on all fronts in the endeavour of creation, these rogue states have become manufacturers of destruction. Pakistan’s military rulers are brilliant in producing commandos and terrorists who kill defenceless hotel guests and railway passengers. Congo’s rulers specialise in producing militias who rape women and girl children. Sudan’s regime is highly competent in creating deliverers of genocide.

While rogues states try to maximise the space for manufacturers of destruction, the civilised states try to maximise the space for the forces of creation. Somehow the media focuses on the former with pictures of hotels on fire, masses of fleeing refugees and impoverished children in humanitarian camps. It is essential to remind ourselves that in reality the latter are in dominance.

Our world is not merely made of Pakistani, Congolese, Somali, Sudanese, Zimbabwean rogue rulers. Our world is made of European politicians who prove that a post-sovereign order based on core human values can bring peace and progress. Our world is made of Turkish politicians who know how to empower the poorest of the poor. Our world is made of Senegalese politicians who provide almost half of their budget for education. Our world is made of Qatari leaders who dedicate the income from oil wells to education, debates and museums. Our world is made of Israeli leaders who have demonstrated how to grow orchards in deserts.

Our world is made of American scientists who have constructed an artificial genome and learnt to map the human genome opening possibilities of curing disease that had so far no solution. Our world is made of Indian doctors who perform cataract surgery at prices that people living below poverty line can afford and entrepreneurs who make wind turbines for energy of the future. Our world is made of Chinese engineers who can build the largest dams and airports of magnitude never seen in human history before. Our world is made of Japanese nanotechnologists who are inventing cables that can support an elevator connecting the earth to space.

However, vested interests in the creative world cannot eschew their responsibility for the expanding space acquired by the rogue states and manufacturers of destruction. They have pampered military dictators, ignored election results, sponsored extremist groups, armed terrorists and warlords, and neglected terrorism that did not directly hurt them. Let’s be honest. Who pampers the rulers of Sudan? Who funds competing militias in Congo? Who supplies free money and nuclear weapon carriers (F-16 aircrafts) to Pakistan’s military rulers?

If we want no more 9/11 or 26/11 type tragedies, massacres and millions of refugees, we will need to develop a global consensus on the definition and response to crimes against humanity. These must include genocide, terrorism, cyber-war, and usurpation of power through military coups. When such crimes are committed within the confines of a national border or ceasefire line, the principle of Responsibility to Protect must apply. When they are committed outside the operating national borders or ceasefire lines, the state that provides territory, resources or even moral support should be automatically treated as criminals against humanity. It has become too fashionable to say that non-state actors commit terrorism and genocide. Non-state actors do not surface from vacuum. They operate from states and the military managers and intelligence agencies of the states they operate from are as guilty as the businessmen who give contracts to underworld gangs to murder their rivals.

Secondly, it is necessary to make a distinction between the rogues states and unfortunate people living in such states. There is no advantage in using sanctions and wars that will hurt common people. It is important to have strategies that target the rulers – denial of travel rights to persons holding certain positions and their relatives, freezing of their overseas bank accounts, heavy accountability of funds given for civilian needs, and a complete ban on any trade, aid or interaction of military nature.

Thirdly, there should be common standards for treating rogues states and rogue militaries around the world. It is unfair to punish the Sudanese rulers and pamper the Pakistani military bosses. It is unfair to punish Pakistani military and entertain Congolese rulers. The criminals against humanity are criminals against humanity and no distinction should be made between them.

Fourth, it is necessary to make a clear distinction between the role of religion and states in perpetrating terrorism. In the last decade, it has become fashionable to blame religion for acts of terror and absolve, at time patronise, the states that are behind such acts. No religion teaches violence. Terrorist groups misuse religion to incite the minds of young people and in this task they may get assistance from some preachers. But religion is merely a tool. The real plotters of terrorism are elements within states. It is high time that scholars ask themselves questions: Who gave birth to Taliban and Janjaweed? Who channels arms to militias in Congo and warlords in Afghanistan? Who gave sanctuary to Al-Qaeda? Were these states, their militaries and intelligence agencies or some pious congregations gathered to pray the Lord?

Fifth, we must realise that the real nature of conflict in the world is not about superficial issues like diamond mines, oil wells or territories. The conflict is ideological. It is about whether forces of creation should dominate the 21st century or whether they should make way for the forces of destruction. The main difference between India and Pakistan is that India concentrates on creating world class software, Bollywood movies (however silly), Institutes of Technology, switches of Large Hadron Collider, lunar vehicles and stuff of this nature whereas Pakistan specialises in manufacturing Al Qaeda, AK-47, HUJI, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashker-e-Taiba, RDX, Taliban and stuff of this nature. Unfortunately Sudan and Congo are much worse since all parties there want to outsmart their rivals in the manufacturing of destruction. Only when the world realises the pathology of the manufacturers of destruction, we will be able to help forces of creation to define the future of humanity. Until we do so, and until we make excuses to ignore the reality in order to protect our own hidden interests, we will have to live with the growing lethality of terror and violence until one day when the manufacturers of destruction finally gather the courage to make a radiological or tactical nuclear weapon and repeat the 9/11 and 26/11 tragedies with enormously greater proportion.