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Avan Aval Adhu 612
“All objects in the universe are unique. No two things that happen by chance ever happen in exactly the same way. No two things are ever constructed or manufactured in exactly the same way. No two things wear in exactly the same way. No two things ever break in exactly the same way.” ― Joe Nickell
Everyone watched as Dr Jules Chirac began poking and prodding the dead as he went about the first stage of an autopsy which concerns the external examination of the dead. Only a few minutes had passed before he smiled and declared, ' It is obvious that all of them were killed by a sharp object that was wielded with tremendous force.'
Turning to the resident Pathologist and his one time student, ' Dr Thomas, please join me and take a look and tell me what is the one common factor in all these dead men.'
Dr Thomas did that and concurred, ' Sir, all of them have died from fatal wounds. Most of them would have been instantly fatal although some of them would have had a few seconds to realise what was happening to them. But, by then it was too late.'
Pointing to the body that lay in two halves, ' Him, I am not so sure for like my Assistant observed, I too think that he was dismembered by some unknown process and I am sure that it was not done by a blade or by a human wielding a blade. It is just impossible for any man to do this kind of damage to bones as strong as the skull, spinal cord and down to the pelvic bone and that too with such precision.'
Dr Jules clapped his hands, ' Very good. But could you please elaborate on what you just said, particularly that part that involves impossible.'
' I can sir ' Dr Thomas, head of the pathology department said confidently and using his gloved hand to point to dismembered body, ' there are no jagged edges of bone or tissue that you normally get in these kind of cases that involves mutilated bodies. The sliced parts present clean and smooth surfaces and if you notice sir, there are no defensive wounds on this persons arms.'
Shaking his head in confusion, ' This man is a known criminal of the worst kind and he is a huge specimen. Surely, he would have put up some sort of fight before being attacked. But has not ' and pointing to all the bodies, ' None of the dead here have any defensive wounds. None of them put up a fight which means...'
Smiling proudly, Dr Jules nodded encouragingly and asked his one time student, ' Go on, Dr Thomas and finish your initial diagnosis.'
' I think they were drugged, and murdered somewhere else and then transported to the Cemetery and carefully arranged in a manner that would suggest that they died there.'
Dr Jules Chirac popularly known as " Englishman " thanked him and then much to the surprise of everyone announced that he was done with his examination and that he was going to meet the chief of police to submit his report.
Turning to Dr Thomas, ' It would be great if you can mail me the clinical report once you are done. Particularly the toxicology report for my own personal research and understanding. I hope I am not asking for too much.'
' Sir, please, no formalities with me. As far as I am concerned, you are still my teacher and head of my department. I will mail it you and before doing that I will call you and convey the results personally. '
' Thank you lad. Thank you.'
Bowing his head, ' I wish all of you a good day. Thank you for putting up with eccentric old man ' and saying that he quickly walked out of the Pathology department and exiting the hospital got into the car and told the driver to head towards the Police headquarters.
His phone rang and he answered it, ' Frédéric, I am on my way. I thought it would be nice to meet you and submit my findings face to face.'
' But, Dr Jules, I was just informed that you hardly spent a few minutes examining the bodies. You could have stayed on until afternoon and then come to meet me after a more thorough examination of blood and the viscera.'
' Not necessary, Frederic. I know how these men died or what killed them.'
Director-General Frédéric Veaux asked in a shocked voice, ' You do? How?'
' A God or one of his angels killed all those men.'
' What God and what angels are you talking about, sir? ' the chief of police asked and wondered if the old man had finally lost his marbles and had gone senile.
' Fred, my old pal, I know you are wondering if I am suffering from dementia or the beginning stages of Alzheimer's and that I have been hiding it from all of you and that is why I just told you what you heard. Freddy boy, sorry to disappoint you but I stand by my diagnosis.'
Taking a deep breath, ' We will talk more in twenty minutes time. Ciao.
Avan Aval Adhu 613
Gayatri sat by the window nursing a cup of black coffee, watching with melancholic eyes as the steam, vapor rose into the air as wispy stuff and began to become one with air and ether.
She closed her eyes and heard her Chemistry teacher Mrs Radha Shinde point to the steam and say, ' children, this steam that you are seeing coming out of the beaker
is actually water vapor and the reason for them escaping from where they belong is because we have boiled the water and when that is done the attraction between the molecules of water decreases due to the breaking of H-Bonds and as a result the molecule becomes free to move anywhere.'
Bringing the cup closer to her beautifully shaped lips, she whispered into the vapor and scattered them with her breath and words. ' My life too has been turned to vapor and made to flee and escape the bonds of other lives because of the stress and strain around us. I wish I could turn into vapor, rise and be one with all of you and everything.'
Placing the cup on the window sill she saw the vapor return to their original forms of strands and waves and turned her thoughts to the dream that had woken her up.
' What did he mean by saying that Ravi and I are involved and that is one of the reasons why I chose Paris instead of Tokyo or London? How did Beedi man know all this about me?'
Remembering the kind old lady from the Gift shop, ' Clementina is the only person who I know and can trust right now. Maybe it will be good to talk to her about this dream that i had about Beedi man. Being a Tarot reader maybe she can make some sense out of my dreams.'
Hearing her mobile phone calling out to her, she picked it up and seeing that it was father Gabriel wondered if she should take his call or call him back later. Then deciding that it would be rude to ignore his call, she answered it.
' Good morning, Father. I wonder what could be so important that has made you call me so early and that too on a Sunday. '
' Miss Gayatri, I am sorry but we just wanted to know if you have made up your mind about working with us.'
There was no hesitation in her voice or in her mind as she informed him that she was not going to be working with them for it just did not make any sense as to what she was going to be doing in an archeological assignment which was far removed from her qualifications.
' I am sorry for wasting your time and I have no intention to do so any further. I will e-mail the same later in the day and hopefully that should be enough.'
If her reply had evoked some form of disappointment of frustration in him, it did not reflect the slightest bit in his words as he spoke to her.
' Miss, I am bit confused with your reply and state of mind concerning this assignment. Your portfolio is filled with photos and articles about archeological sites from all over the world from the pyramids in the Sahara to the Inca sites in the Amazon Jungle. You were given the Rolex award for excellence in photography for the photos you shot for National Geographic Magazine for the series concerning world religions and ancient Hindu temple ruins. So, how can our project be far-removed from what you are qualified for and what you have been doing the past fifteen years.'
Gayatri was stumped with the calm and relevant answer and left with nowhere else to go, she replied, ' Father Gabriel, I am sorry but I am in the midst of a personal crisis and frankly speaking I have no energy or the mood to take up your offer. '
' I hear you loud and clear, Miss Gayatri and all I can say in return is please take a few more days if you need to before you come to any kind of final decision. We will be waiting for you. I wish you well. Bye.'
Father Gabriel stared worriedly at the phone for this meant disaster for his pet assignment. The project's head, the woman he had only spoken to and had yet to meet in person had told him in no uncertain terms that Gayatri's involvement was a prerequisite for her funding the project and for him heading the assignment.
He looked up at Christ and crossing himself whispered, ' Well, I am used to bad luck and lost opportunities and I will just add this to that long list of failures. Father, what else could I have done in this situation? If this lady does not want to be a part of this project then what more could I have done or said to change her mind.'
His phone rang and his heart sank in dread for it was his current boss calling and he answered it.
' Good morning, maa'm. I am sorry but I have only bad news for you this morning.'
' Don't worry Father, I will take it from here. You did your best and rest assured that you and this project will be taken care of. As far as the young Indian lady is concerned, she is mine to take care of.'
The call was disconnected but the ominous words and the grim manner in which they were delivered left Father Gabriel slightly nervous and afraid.
He looked up into the kind, soft and benevolent eyes of Jesus Christ and prayed, ' Father, I hope, pray and wish well for everyone. Please watch over all of us as you have always done and do.'
Opening the bible, he began reading from it and for some time lost himself in God, religion and faith.
The liberal international order is slowly coming apart
Its collapse could be sudden and irreversible
At first glance, the world economy looks reassuringly resilient. America has boomed even as its trade war with China has escalated. Germany has withstood the loss of Russian gas supplies without suffering an economic disaster. War in the Middle East has brought no oil shock. Missile-firing Houthi rebels have barely touched the global flow of goods. As a share of global gdp, trade has bounced back from the pandemic and is forecast to grow healthily this year.
Look deeper, though, and you see fragility. For years the order that has governed the global economy since the second world war has been eroded. Today it is close to collapse. A worrying number of triggers could set off a descent into anarchy, where might is right and war is once again the resort of great powers. Even if it never comes to conflict, the effect on the economy of a breakdown in norms could be fast and brutal.
As we report, the disintegration of the old order is visible everywhere. Sanctions are used four times as much as they were during the 1990s; America has recently imposed “secondary” penalties on entities that support Russia’s armies. A subsidy war is under way, as countries seek to copy China’s and America’s vast state backing for green manufacturing. Although the dollar remains dominant and emerging economies are more resilient, global capital flows are starting to fragment, as our special report explains.
The institutions that safeguarded the old system are either already defunct or fast losing credibility. The World Trade Organisation turns 30 next year, but will have spent more than five years in stasis, owing to American neglect. The imf is gripped by an identity crisis, caught between a green agenda and ensuring financial stability. The UN Security council is paralysed. And, as we report, supranational courts like the International Court of Justice are increasingly weaponised by warring parties. Last month American politicians including Mitch McConnell, the leader of Republicans in the Senate, threatened the International Criminal Court with sanctions if it issues arrest warrants for the leaders of Israel, which also stands accused of genocide by South Africa at the International Court of Justice.
So far fragmentation and decay have imposed a stealth tax on the global economy: perceptible, but only if you know where to look. Unfortunately, history shows that deeper, more chaotic collapses are possible—and can strike suddenly once the decline sets in. The first world war killed off a golden age of globalisation that many at the time assumed would last for ever. In the early 1930s, following the onset of the Depression and the Smoot-Hawley tariffs, America’s imports collapsed by 40% in just two years. In August 1971 Richard Nixon unexpectedly suspended the convertibility of dollars into gold; only 19 months later, the Bretton Woods system of fixed-exchange rates fell apart.
Today a similar rupture feels all too imaginable. The return of Donald Trump to the White House, with his zero-sum worldview, would continue the erosion of institutions and norms. The fear of a second wave of cheap Chinese imports could accelerate it. Outright war between America and China over Taiwan, or between the West and Russia, could cause an almighty collapse.
In many of these scenarios, the loss will be more profound than many people think. It is fashionable to criticise untrammelled globalisation as the cause of inequality, the global financial crisis and neglect of the climate. But the achievements of the 1990s and 2000s—the high point of liberal capitalism—are unmatched in history. Hundreds of millions escaped poverty in China as it integrated into the global economy. The infant-mortality rate worldwide is less than half what it was in 1990. The percentage of the global population killed by state-based conflicts hit a post-war low of 0.0002% in 2005; in 1972 it was nearly 40 times as high. The latest research shows that the era of the “Washington consensus”, which today’s leaders hope to replace, was one in which poor countries began to enjoy catch-up growth, closing the gap with the rich world.
The decline of the system threatens to slow that progress, or even throw it into reverse. Once broken, it is unlikely to be replaced by new rules. Instead, world affairs will descend into their natural state of anarchy that favours banditry and violence. Without trust and an institutional framework for co-operation, it will become harder for countries to deal with the 21st century’s challenges, from containing an arms race in artificial intelligence to collaborating in space. Problems will be tackled by clubs of like-minded countries. That can work, but will more often involve coercion and resentment, as with Europe’s carbon border-tariffs or China’s feud with the IMF. When co-operation gives way to strong-arming, countries have less reason to keep the peace.
In the eyes of the Chinese Communist Party, Vladimir Putin or other cynics, a system in which might is right would be nothing new. They see the liberal order not as an enactment of lofty ideals but an exercise of raw American power—power that is now in relative decline.
Gradually, then suddenly
It is true that the system established after the second world war achieved a marriage between America’s internationalist principles and its strategic interests. Yet the liberal order also brought vast benefits to the rest of the world. Many of the world’s poor are already suffering from the inability of the IMF to resolve the sovereign-debt crisis that followed the covid-19 pandemic. Middle-income countries such as India and Indonesia hoping to trade their way to riches are exploiting opportunities created by the old order’s fragmentation, but will ultimately rely on the global economy staying integrated and predictable. And the prosperity of much of the developed world, especially small, open economies such as Britain and South Korea, depends utterly on trade. Buttressed by strong growth in America, it may seem as if the world economy can survive everything that is thrown at it. It can’t.
The Economist, May 9, 2024
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