The world last week: Mixed feelings of joy and sorrow, gains and losses intertwined.

(Baonghean) - This past week, the world witnessed many major upheavals, both joyful and sad. Alongside events worth celebrating, such as the historic nuclear agreement with Iran and Greece passing a reform bill as requested by the troika of creditors, essentially rescuing Greece from the Grexit scenario earlier in the week, a somber atmosphere enveloped the weekend as brutal terrorist attacks claimed the lives of innocent people in several countries.

Achieving broad consensus

After 12 years of agonizing waiting, the recent 18-day negotiation period between Iran and the P5+1 group (comprising the US, Russia, the UK, France, China, and Germany) has reached a final agreement on the controversial nuclear issue, bringing a "dreamy" ending for peace-loving people around the world. Indeed, after repeated delays of the deadline, and with public opinion continuing to speculate that the protracted, even all-night, negotiations between the parties would hardly lead to a compromise, July 14th went down in history, witnessing the removal of the final obstacles at the negotiating table, ending more than a decade of stalemate over Iran's nuclear program. Accordingly, Iran will scale back its uranium enrichment program in exchange for the gradual lifting of economic and financial sanctions imposed on the country by the United Nations and the West.

A view of the scene of the deadly bombing in Iraq on July 17. Photo: AFP

Overall, this landmark agreement has been highly praised by politicians and the public worldwide, acknowledging the efforts of all parties to resolve the thorny issue of Iran's nuclear programs. According to AFP, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that the world breathed a "sigh of relief" after the agreement was announced. Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, representing those involved, stated that the agreement had "opened new horizons" for his country by successfully resolving an "unnecessary crisis."

However, alongside the flattering words from the West and Iranian politicians, Israel was the most critical of the agreement, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it a "historic mistake." Furthermore, its Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely labeled it "the West's surrender to the axis of evil led by Iran." More recently, Iran's senior Islamic leader Ali Khamenei declared that the country would not bow to the US even if an agreement on nuclear programs was reached. In a speech marking the end of Ramadan on July 17th, the supreme spiritual leader bluntly stated: "The Americans say they are preventing Iran from possessing nuclear weapons. They know that is not true. We have a religious law according to which nuclear weapons are prohibited under Islamic law. This has nothing to do with nuclear negotiations."

In another development, with 229 votes in favor, 64 against, and 6 abstentions, the Greek Parliament on the morning of July 16th approved a strict reform bill demanded by creditors in exchange for a third bailout package worth 86 billion euros (equivalent to 94 billion USD). Accordingly, demands for tax increases, a review of pensions, and a commitment to privatization were among the requirements from the troika of creditors. This progress is seen as helping Greece to somewhat alleviate pressure and burdens, successfully remaining in the Eurozone and breathing easier with the additional funding. However, this event caused deep divisions even within the ruling left-wing Syriza party of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, as those who had held or were holding key positions voted against or abstained from the reform bill, including former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis and Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis. And as if to demonstrate his control over the cabinet, on July 17, the 1974-born prime minister dismissed several individuals who opposed the implementation of these reforms, which they considered extremely harsh.

The world is not yet silent.sound of bombs and gunfire

This past week, the world commemorated the first anniversary of the tragic deaths of the MH17 plane crash, and the cause of these innocent passengers' deaths remains unclear. The pain has intensified with a series of shootings and bombings in recent days, some resulting in hundreds of casualties. On July 17th, the entire United States was shaken by news that two military facilities in Tennessee were attacked by a deranged gunman, claiming the lives of four Marines. President Obama stated that the FBI would quickly investigate to provide answers to the incident. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported that the suspected shooter, Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, had lived in Jordan for about seven months last year. CNN also quoted Abdulazeez's friends as saying that he appeared to have "changed his ways" after returning from the Middle East and "isolated himself" in the first few months after the trip: "Abdulazeez is no longer as close to his friends as before; something must have happened while Abdulazeez was abroad." Authorities stated that they are considering whether terrorism was the motive for the shooting and are investigating the previous trips of the man who killed four soldiers.

On the same day, as Muslims were celebrating Eid Al Fitr, marking the end of the Ramadan fasting month, a bloody car bomb attack in a market in Diyala province, 30 km east of the Iraqi capital, killed more than 100 civilians, including 15 children. The self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack, asserting it was retaliation against Shiites. The bombing caused massive casualties because the terrorists' vehicle contained up to 3 tons of explosives. The scene was chaotic, with many buildings collapsed and body parts scattered everywhere. The unspeakable grief fueled anger and hatred among the population, and public places were closed for the next few days to prevent a similar tragedy from recurring.

The atrocities did not stop there. On July 18, at least 13 more people were killed when the extremist Islamic group Boko Haram strapped explosives to three young girls and remotely detonated "human bombs" in an area of ​​Nigeria frequently plagued by attacks. These inhumane groups regularly use children to carry out bombings, and in the last five years they have killed approximately 15,000 people and left 1.5 million homeless. Boko Haram's actions demonstrate their allegiance to ISIS. Given these inhuman acts of terrorism, it is not surprising that combating terrorism will become a central focus on the agendas of many countries worldwide in the near future.

Phu Binh