This week, the world is celebrating the 80th anniversary of Europe’s victory over Nazi fascism in the Second World War. However, after that victory was declared in early May 1945, all the warring parties — allies and foes, victors and vanquished — interpreted it in ways that best suited their narrative, or simply turned it into a purely ceremonial occasion.

Today, the world looks as splintered and conflict-ridden as it did in the late 1930s. The protagonists on all sides, whether democratic or autocratic, seem to be caving under the weight of disappearing trust, diminishing legitimacy, limited resources and ever more persistent global warming. Meanwhile, the glaring gap between rich and poor is increasingly prominent, with no real efforts being made to bridge it. Will anyone seek to save the era of relative peace, prosperity and rule of law-based order that has existed for the past 80 years?

For the victors in Europe who have been celebrating this week, the continent appears to be at the same point it was before the Second World War. The chaos overshadowing transatlantic relations, the war in Ukraine, the rise of ultranationalist and populist right politics, weak economic performance and ever lower satisfaction among the populace are a recipe for conflictive politics and an explosive, divisive narrative that could undermine European cohesion.

The victims of Nazi atrocities in Europe are being remembered at ceremonies this week. Veterans who fought in the war may be appearing for the last time due to old age, as their numbers continue to dwindle. The questions on everybody’s mind are how much the war is remembered and what lessons have been drawn from it.

Societies throughout the world and, alarmingly, the youth in particular, seem to know little about history and are at risk of repeating the mistakes of 80 years ago or tolerating new ones being made.

Societies throughout the world seem to know little about history and are at risk of repeating the mistakes of 80 years ago

Mohamed Chebaro

A simple reason for this is that the world system we live in seems to be under duress. One does not need to look very hard to see the killing fields dotting the world map today, accompanied by a deafening silence or even complicity.

OK, one could easily point to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the appetite to reopen the history books and tap into nationalistic fervor by some actors to justify the invasion of another sovereign country. And it was only natural for others to try to uphold the rules of international law and order to try to support Ukraine in defending itself. But they have also failed miserably to defend innocents or uphold the same rules of international humanitarian law in other conflicts.

Israel’s continuing onslaught against Gaza is another conflict that demonstrates the breakdown of the rules-based order established 80 years ago. The absurd failure of the international community to exert pressure on Israel and stop the killing, destruction and starvation of Gaza, regardless of the gravity of what Hamas committed on Oct. 7, 2023, is no less a crime than those committed during the Second World War and that inspire the Victory in Europe Day commemorations.

The same could be said about the thousands of victims of the Sudan war, which many believe was also avoidable. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is experiencing another conflict, not to mention Yemen, as well as other human-made so-called forever wars, just because they are complicated ethnic, tribal or religious conflicts, such as those in Afghanistan, Somalia and recently Syria or Myanmar. These seem ever harder to tackle, even with seasoned conflict-resolution and peacekeeping missions.

A close friend recently asked me what else an activist could do to raise their voice and help stop the killing in Gaza and elsewhere. This friend voiced the concern, which is today shared by many people, that such wars are now tolerated and are even becoming normalized. For a moment, I felt unable to answer. Then I found myself repeating the need to keep engaging, believing and raising one’s voice against carnage and injustice everywhere.

Later, when I looked at the figures as I was researching this article, it became clear that the task of finding peace is really daunting — but there are not many choices.

We live in an era in which the number of conflicts taking place keeps growing. According to the UN, more than 300 million people need humanitarian aid and protection. Meanwhile, resources continue to dwindle and paralysis grips the decision-making level due to the growing rivalries between major powers.

Multilateralism is surely dying. It needs resuscitating to continue its efforts to open dialogues, attempt conflict resolution and mount crucial peace missions that might preserve some hope.

In the complex world we live in, war and conflict are the products, not causes, of the global competition that has led to disorder

Mohamed Chebaro

Instead of cutting aid budgets and funding for international agencies, major powers ought to double down on funding crucial peacemaking and peacekeeping organizations, regardless of their lack of immediate impact in many cases. President Donald Trump’s blunders in his tariff, culture and other wars reduce certainty and weaken resolve everywhere. The US is $1.2 billion in arrears to the UN’s peacekeeping budget and maybe its funding will soon come to an end entirely.

In the complex world we live in, war and conflict are the products, not causes, of the global competition that has led to disorder. The origins of this disorder are primarily political, ideological or interest-driven. It could be attributed to historical rivalries, recent acts of instability or even political fragmentation and the rejection of globalization and the old international rulebook. This disorder is compounded by a less-than-upstanding tech realm that is fueling toxic narratives and distortions of truth, thus empowering the rising tide of populism and authoritarian right-wing politics disguised as ultranationalism.

But, in essence, it is primarily down to fear overcoming hope, resulting in a “me-first” mantra and all the prejudice and loss of faith, trust and moral purpose that comes with it.

Despite all that, despair could be the worst enemy for people all over the world. The Victory in Europe Day celebrations would be useless if people allowed themselves to be overwhelmed by the complexity and sheer volume of relentless, upsetting and challenging news stories. An “I don’t care” attitude and loss of empathy, as witnessed in many circles today, could undermine the actions of those who sacrificed their lives 80 years ago.

• Mohamed Chebaro is a British-Lebanese journalist with more than 25 years’ experience covering war, terrorism, defense, current affairs and diplomacy.