The world’s bitter roots still refuse to sweeten

HISTORY’S LONG SHADOW| From oil and trade to war and AI, old human impulses continue shaping modern destinies

“If a bitter seed is soaked in milk for years, will its bitterness disappear?” The ancient proverb remains uncomfortable because it asks a question that every generation believes it has already answered. Yet history continues to disagree.

The first week of June offered another reminder that prosperity does not necessarily civilise humanity. Wealth grows. Technology advances. Nations become richer. Cities become taller. Artificial intelligence becomes smarter. Yet the oldest weaknesses of civilisation continue to survive beneath the surface.

From New Delhi to Washington, from Moscow to Tel Aviv, from Tehran to Beijing, from Brussels to London, and from Africa to Australia, the world remains trapped between extraordinary progress and familiar conflict. 

The names change. The patterns rarely do.   From Nehru to Indira Gandhi, from Vajpayee to Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi, from George Bush to Obama and Trump, from Tony Blair to Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer, from Gorbachev to Putin, leaders have come and gone.  Yet Iraq gave way to Libya, Libya to Yemen, Yemen to Syria, and the long and painful story of Israel and Palestine continues to cast its shadow across generations. Gaza burns, Lebanon trembles, Iran and Israel confront one another, and fresh uncertainties spread across West Asia. Entire generations of children have grown up knowing conflict more intimately than peace, while countless families have buried dreams that never had the opportunity to mature.

The economic consequences are never far behind.

On June 5, the RBI kept policy rates unchanged while lowering growth forecasts and raising inflation projections. Governor Sanjay Malhotra's decision reflected a reality that every central banker understands: “Markets may trade on numbers, but economies and businesses across all sectors—regardless of size—are ultimately driven by human behaviour.

Oil remains the world’s most powerful messenger. A missile launched in one region can alter transport costs, food prices, airline fares and household budgets thousands of kilometres away.  

Trade negotiations between India, the US, Europe and the UK seek to build bridges.  Yet even as nations speak of partnership, protectionist instincts continue resurfacing. This week, Trump launched a fresh wave of trade actions after America's top court challenged earlier tariff measures. Washington proposed duties of between 10 and 12.5% on imports from more than sixty countries, including India and the EU, while also targeting Brazil and examining trade practices in Vietnam and China. 

The message was familiar: ‘Globalisation may be celebrated in speeches, but economic nationalism remains deeply rooted in policy.

Even technology reflects the contradiction. The race for AI promises remarkable gains, yet increasingly resembles a contest for dominance rather than collective advancement. American and Chinese technology giants compete fiercely for data, computing power and influence, while concerns grow over imitation, digital monopolies and the future of employment itself. China's manufacturing strength, America's economic resilience, Europe's inflation concerns, Japan's policy adjustments, Russia's strategic calculations and the Gulf's energy diplomacy all point towards one reality: economics and geopolitics are no longer separate conversations.

It is simply that economics cannot be separated from human nature.   The bitter seed may wear new leaves. It may grow taller branches. It may even produce richer fruit. Yet unless nations learn to value cooperation as much as competition, and humanity as much as power, the roots beneath the tree will remain remarkably unchanged.