In his opening address to the 1955 Bandung Conference, Indonesian President Sukarno warned that nuclear “war would not only mean a threat to our independence, it may mean the end of civilization and even of human life. There is a force loose in the world whose potentiality for evil no man truly knows. Even in practice and rehearsal for war the effects may well be building up into something of unknown horror.” Now his successors have issued the same warning.
Echoing Sukarno’s warning from nearly seven decades ago, Indonesia’s Defense Minister and President-elect Prabowo Subianto told a Sept. 25 working meeting with Indonesia’s House of Representatives Commission I: “The world today is not in a good state. We are witnessing heightened tensions, with global defense and strategy experts suggesting that we are on the brink of World War III.”
“If a nuclear war breaks out, although we may not be involved, the consequences will be severe. History has shown that when powers seek to impose their will, wars erupt unexpectedly, as seen in World War I and II. We also see growing tensions in Palestine that could lead to a major conflict,” he explained.
