The two-week US-Iran ceasefire reveals much more than it hides. Just imagine a Boxing championship with the world’s heavyweight champion in one corner of the ring and on the other side is a much lesser-known boxer from a local club in a so-called third-world nation. But this lesser-known guy is someone who is reasonably well-trained with great survival instincts and a never-say-die attitude.
Now look at some of the probable scenarios and outcomes. First, let us take the perspective from the world champion side. If the world champion loses, he will lose his reputation. And in case he takes too long and even then, he is unable to knock out his much lesser opponent, he will look as incompetent. In case he is injured during the bout he loses his next prized fight. For a world champion who thinks that he is invincible, anything less than a one-punch knockout is a failure and can be considered as a defeat.
By contrast, look at the perspective from the side of the local club boxer who can only win. If he is knocked out with one punch, he loses nothing as he is expected to lose against the world champion with one big blow. But suppose he manages to hit the world champion; he can tell the story about how he fought the world heavyweight champion and managed to land a big crushing blow to him. He will be a hero amongst his own people and will have a name in his community.
In case he manages to go to the next round or another round, thereafter, in the fight, taking severe blows and still standing, he would become a very popular person who could withstand continuous lethal blows without collapsing. This will make him so rich that advertisers (read people) will come around him, and he will never have to struggle for his livelihood ever again. Standing up to a mighty opponent makes one a hero. Also, he would become a regional champion within its area of influence without ever fighting.
In the most unlikely scenario where he knocks out the world champion, he might actually be starting his own professional career and extending his domination over nearby regions by his reputation as a world beater.
Lastly, in the worst-case scenario, if he ends in the hospital after the bout, he will still be able to tell the stories about his spirited fight against a world champion during which he did not collapse. This itself will make him a winner, anyway. I guess this is the view from the ringside that tells the story of the ceasefire of the US-Iran bout. This ceasefire is actually a stalemate or even a strategic timeout as in cricket T20 matches, where both sides will recalibrate their resources and bide their time to strike once again whenever the conditions are favourable to them. But at the moment when both claim themselves as winners, the world debates on the winner and is left to their judgment to decide who has the upper hand at the moment.
And the final punch. The role of the referee is pitiable as he receives blows from both the boxers and still has to put up a brave face to earn his dollars from the world champion, his sponsor. No prizes for guessing the referee. It is the familiar face of a man with a bowl, Shehbaz Sharif and his side kick mullah Munir.
In my comment on previous article was’ No war is won without a ground battle’ US is never ready for ground war. US was banking on people uprisings which never happened because of whatever reason.missile and attack by air only cause destruction but can never win wars. Here both sides are involved in airfare only. I wonder why Iran didn’t use ground troops and decisively win this war. Each side may have their own reasons but both are fighting not to win.