In the history of mankind, there have been rare instances where the introductory words spoken by a person have electrified the whole audience as much as Swami Vivekananda’s groundbreaking speech to the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions. Beginning with the words “Sisters and Brothers of America,” the speech managed to not only eliminate the difference between Swamiji’s status as a person belonging to a different nation and religion, but also made the audience realise that they were in the audience of a great personality, who could really show them the path of universal brotherhood.

Yoon Suk-yeol assumed the office of South Korea’s new President on 10 May and had barely settled into his new role when he found himself at the centre of an ongoing tug of war between the US and China. In a smart move, China sent Vice-President Wang Qishan to Yoon’s inauguration. But Biden was smarter as he travels to South Korea and Japan from 20-24 May 2022, two allies in Asia, to solidify US alliances and keep Chinese influence at bay. What makes the visit significant is that it came at a time when much of the world’s focus is on the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

The world is in a state of flux. Ukraine crisis is triggering cascading risks globally. However, while the world attention is diverted to the Ukraine conflict, the crisis in Afghanistan remains sidelined. The country faces confluence of multiple crises. Economy is in doldrums, there is political uncertainty and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis is leading the country to a precipice of unmitigated disaster. It is seen that nearly one third of the country is grappling with emergency levels of food insecurity. Adding to the misery is the worst drought recorded in 27 years.