Understanding Global Warming as a WMD

As students of international relations, we were socialized into mainstream ideas, including theories ranging from realism to constructivism, political thought, geopolitics, geo-economics, various forms of power (soft, hard, and smart), and the roles of state and non-state actors and so on.

- PRASANTA KUMAR BK

Currently, we have been reimagining our course content and recognizing a significant academic movement toward incorporating the Anthropocene in international relations in South Asia.

Whenever a concept of the Anthropocene—sustainable development, climate change—arises, we must remember, as intellectuals and scholars engaged in particularly critical international relations, the necessity to broaden, deepen, and pluralize its meaning. The discourse presents the need to design a curriculum that rethinks international relations, aiming to incorporate diverse viewpoints and experiences as valid forms of knowledge. International relations now include the Anthropocene concept, known as the "Anthropocene Rapture." It demands rewriting about the Earth in global geopolitics.

We can illustrate this idea as an exceedingly complex phenomenon that totalizes the narrative of a planetary crisis. This narrative must be critically assessed, holding everyone equally responsible and accountable for both the causes and consequences. Each Anthropocene, including the South Asian Anthropocene, embodies a complex geography, characterized by its intricate history. Therefore, when reflecting on the realities of the Anthropocene, it is essential to examine it from the perspective of our subcontinent within broader regional contexts. Now, creating a Global Soul for the Global South is in our hands and requires further discussion. Moreover, it is essential to distinguish what constitutes Anthropocene information and Anthropocene knowledge.

In Gitanjali, Rabindranath Tagore states that the highest form of education is not merely about imparting information but knowledge about fostering a life in harmony with all of existence. Is there an international relationship within the context of the Anthropocene that allows us to view life in all its interconnected forms?