The World on the Edge of the Pit of Fire: Putin’s Choice and the Inevitability of Peace

Yusuf İnan
Journalist | Opinion Writer
Wise News Press – Izmir, Türkiye

A World on the Edge of the Pit of Fire: Putin’s Choice and the Inevitability of Peace 

In his traditional year-end press conference lasting nearly 4.5 hours, Russian President Vladimir Putin painted a familiar picture: accusing the West of robbery, NATO of expansion, and framing military operations as a "strategic" necessity. However, beyond the narrative managed for his domestic audience, a stark reality stands before the world. History is written with results, not words, and for Russia, the current situation indicates a strategic defeat rather than a success story.

A Strategic Blunder: Pushing People Away and Expanding NATO

Putin's claim that "NATO expansion brought us to this point" contains a tragic irony. By invading Ukraine to push NATO away from its borders, Putin has personally driven 90% of the Ukrainian people into the NATO front and the Western camp. NATO is no longer a temporary guest in Ukraine; it is permanent. Furthermore, it was Putin’s very own actions that pushed staunchly neutral countries like Finland and Sweden into the ranks of NATO.

While Russia leaves behind armless and legless veterans, fatherless children, and overflowing graveyards in the streets of Ukraine, it has lost the heart of the Ukrainian people forever. You can capture a territory with land, but you cannot defeat the hatred of a grieving mother with tanks. It is now impossible for the millions of Ukrainians scattered across the world as refugees to look at Russia with anything but disdain. Even if cities fall, hearts were destroyed long ago.

The Borders of Defeat: Russia Drifting from Central Asia to Syria

It is not only in Ukraine where the crystal has cracked; Russia’s traditional spheres of influence are also shifting. The historic hosting of Central Asian leaders (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) at the White House is a strategic defeat for Moscow. Simultaneously, Washington, Ankara, and Beijing are increasing their influence in the region.

President Trump Hosting Central Asian Leaders at the White House

Most painful is the unhealthy balance Russia has established with Turkiye, which could have been its only secure NATO ally. The martyrdom of 36 Turkish soldiers in Syria and the presence of Russian UAVs in Turkish airspace are incompatible with the concept of a "strategic partnership." By crossing the red lines of the Turkish and Islamic world through the occupation of Crimea and Ukraine, Putin is only increasing his enemies while losing his few remaining friends.

The Tragedy in Idlib: Honoring the 36 Martyred Turkish Soldiers

The Stop Before the Pit of Fire: Ali 'Imran 103 From time to time, Putin addresses the world by quoting verses from the Holy Quran. However, these verses are not merely a rhetorical tool; they are a call to truth. In Surah Ali 'Imran, Verse 103, which Putin has referenced before, Allah (c.c.) says:

Verse 103 of Surah Ali 'Imran (Spiritual Call for Peace)

"And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember the favor of Allah upon you - when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers. And you were on the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses that you may be guided."

This verse clearly describes the world today. Humanity is precisely on the edge of that "pit of fire" due to the ambitions of Russia and other power centers. A leader who reads this verse has the chance to earn the praise of the Quran by turning humanity away from that pit. The performance of "winking at peace" while trying not to appear too eager is a disappointment for a leader regarded as having such deep experience. True wisdom is mending the cracked crystal and extinguishing the fire rather than fueling it.

The Account in the Hereafter and the End of Leadership

Like every human, the leaders who manage the world today will taste death. In 10 or 20 years, these seats of power will hold no authority. Vladimir Putin and others must reconsider by whom they wish to be met when they pass into the eternal realm. Do they want to be greeted by the cries of millions of victims and orphaned children, or as "saviors" who built peace and saved lives?

Putin must use his power not for the scorching fires of war, but for the restorative power of peace. To imagine a leader under his own control in Ukraine is to ignore the will of the Ukrainian people, and this path ends in frustration. The only way to join the side of the winners is to establish a peaceful language of communication and make peace with the world.

Setting the world on fire cannot be a strategy. This strategy makes neither the Russian people nor the people of the world happy. Tension must decrease, guns must fall silent, and humanity, "on the edge of the pit of fire," must be invited to the cool shade of peace. It must not be forgotten that the judgment of history and divine justice will be given not based on the size of armies, but on the amount of tears shed and the value of the lives saved.

Yusuf İnan 

www.sehitlerolmez.com

Yusuf İnan is a journalist and writer.
He serves as Editor-in-Chief of WiseNewsPress.com, SehitlerOlmez.com, and YerelGundem.com.
He specializes in strategic and political analysis on Turkish and global affairs.