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The art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of states

Saturday, June 21, 2025

  • 3:10 PM

Serangan Israel ke Iran yang belakangan ini menjadi tajuk utama media internasional telah memunculkan teori konspirasi yang cukup mengganggu nalar publik. Bukan hanya karena skala dan target dari serangan tersebut, tapi juga karena dampak serta waktu kejadiannya yang dianggap terlalu “kebetulan” untuk tidak dicurigai. Bagi sebagian pengamat, konflik ini bukan sekadar perang antar dua negara musuh, tetapi pertunjukan geopolitik yang lebih besar dengan kepentingan tersembunyi di baliknya.

Banyak kalangan menilai bahwa serangan Israel ke wilayah Iran terjadi justru saat tekanan global terhadap Israel mencapai titik kritis akibat tindakan genosida di Gaza. Citra Israel di Eropa sedang memburuk tajam, dan negara-negara pendukungnya seperti Amerika Serikat pun mulai kesulitan membendung kemarahan masyarakat internasional. Maka, serangan ke Iran bisa menjadi cara paling efektif untuk mengalihkan fokus dan memicu narasi baru tentang “ancaman bersama.”

Tidak sedikit yang meyakini bahwa perang ini memberi keuntungan citra bagi kedua pihak. Di satu sisi, Israel berusaha mengembalikan persepsi bahwa mereka adalah korban dan pelindung dunia dari “rezim berbahaya.” Di sisi lain, pemerintah Iran, yang juga tengah dikritik di dalam negeri, justru memperoleh momentum untuk tampil sebagai pahlawan nasional dengan merespons serangan secara langsung dan berani.

Narasi heroik di Iran pun menguat. Serangan balasan mereka ke Tel Aviv bukan hanya soal balas dendam, tapi juga soal martabat nasional. Pemimpin Iran, yang biasanya dikritik karena isu dalam negeri, kini dipuji karena sikapnya yang dianggap tidak gentar menghadapi musuh bebuyutan. Dalam teori konspirasi, ini disebut sebagai “win-win” dalam permainan geopolitik teater.

Tak hanya soal citra, dampak ekonomi dari konflik ini juga mencurigakan. Harga minyak global melonjak tajam sejak ketegangan meningkat, yang secara langsung menguntungkan perusahaan minyak Barat. Bahkan negara-negara seperti Rusia dan Iran, yang merupakan eksportir minyak besar, ikut diuntungkan secara ekonomi, meski sanksi tetap menjerat sektor energi Iran.

Lebih jauh, skenario ini membuka kemungkinan masa depan yang lebih gelap. Sebagaimana yang terjadi di Irak dan Libya, kekacauan yang diikuti oleh kelemahan internal bisa menjadi celah bagi kekuatan asing untuk “merayakan pesta pora” atas sumber daya alam Iran. Teori ini menyebut serangan Israel sebagai babak awal dari proses pelemahan strategis terhadap Iran.

Pernyataan seorang pejabat Jerman yang menyebut serangan Israel sebagai bagian dari “pekerjaan kotor” Barat juga menguatkan kecurigaan bahwa konflik ini bukan berjalan secara independen, tapi memiliki restu dan dukungan logistik dari aktor-aktor besar di belakang layar. Israel dinilai berperan sebagai eksekutor terbuka dari strategi Barat yang enggan tampil langsung di garis depan.

Di dalam Israel sendiri, konflik ini juga memperkuat posisi politik Perdana Menteri Benjamin Netanyahu. Serangan ke Iran dan respons militer yang masif berhasil mengalihkan perhatian dari krisis politik domestik, ketidakmampuan memulihkan ekonomi karena embargo, hingga aksi protes atas kebijakan-kebijakan yang dianggap hanya bertujuan populisme. Perang menjadi alat efektif untuk menyatukan opini publik di tengah tekanan dalam negeri.

Dengan demikian, kedua pihak tampak saling “membantu” memperkuat posisi masing-masing. Masyarakat dunia hanya disuguhi adegan demi adegan ketegangan yang sebagian besarnya diproduksi dalam narasi resmi, sementara sisi kelam dan kepentingan tersembunyi di belakangnya tetap tertutup rapat.

Namun meski bagi sebagian orang ini tampak seperti sandiwara, sandiwara itu bukan tanpa korban. Roket, drone, dan ledakan sungguhan telah menewaskan puluhan orang, bahkan lebih, di berbagai lokasi yang diserang. Infrastruktur sipil hancur, dan trauma psikologis menjangkiti jutaan jiwa, belum termasuk korban yang terus berguguran di Gaza yang sengaja dikesampingkan dalam wacana publik.

Skenario konflik yang disebut sebagai panggung geopolitik ini menjadi tragedi nyata bagi rakyat sipil yang tak pernah diberi pilihan untuk menentukan arah. Baik warga Israel pendukung perang maupun rakyat Iran yang menghadapi embargo dan perang, keduanya adalah penonton sekaligus korban dalam pertunjukan berdarah ini.

Sebagian analis bahkan menyebut bahwa eskalasi ini bukan tentang siapa yang menang atau kalah, tapi siapa yang paling diuntungkan secara strategis dan ekonomi. Dan bila mengacu pada pola sebelumnya, konflik seperti ini akan terus berlangsung dalam siklus yang berulang, dengan pergantian aktor tapi naskah yang hampir sama.

Wacana konspirasi ini tentu tidak bisa diterima begitu saja sebagai kebenaran tunggal. Namun fakta-fakta di lapangan menunjukkan pola yang tak bisa diabaikan begitu saja. Ketika dua musuh lama saling menyerang tapi hasilnya justru memperkuat kedudukan keduanya, maka patut dipertanyakan: siapa sebenarnya penonton, siapa produser, dan siapa penulis skenario di balik layar?

Konflik Israel-Iran kali ini telah membuka kembali pertanyaan lama tentang integritas dunia internasional. Apakah diplomasi masih relevan? Apakah perang ini tentang ideologi, pertahanan, atau justru bisnis dan kekuasaan global? Pertanyaan-pertanyaan ini terus bergema, seiring terus mengalirnya darah dari medan konflik yang seakan diatur waktunya.

Dalam dunia yang dibentuk oleh narasi, kejujuran sering kali terkubur di balik gempuran opini, propaganda, dan kepentingan. Jika benar konflik ini adalah bagian dari sebuah sandiwara besar, maka yang paling tragis adalah bahwa jutaan manusia menjadi korban dari naskah yang tak pernah mereka pilih untuk lakoni.

Meski belum ada bukti konklusif yang menguatkan teori konspirasi ini, kekuatan narasi dan waktu kejadian yang mencurigakan cukup membuat publik bertanya-tanya. Apalagi jika konflik ini berujung pada perubahan geopolitik besar yang sebelumnya tak terlihat.

Di tengah semua ini, Gaza tetap menjadi luka terbuka yang ditutupi kabut perang di Tel Aviv dan Teheran. Genosida yang dilakukan Israel atas Palestina kini tenggelam dalam riuh rendah perang regional yang bisa jadi memang disengaja. Sebab dalam dunia konflik, terkadang kesunyian satu tragedi hanya bisa dibeli dengan keramaian tragedi lainnya.

Thursday, April 10, 2025

  • 11:39 PM
A compelling yet controversial theory has emerged, suggesting a connection between the Pakpak people of Batak land and the enigmatic tale of the Waqwaq tribe, chronicled in the legends of ancient Arab seafarers. This legend speaks of a wondrous tree, described as so precious it surpassed any notion of a "money tree," even hyperbolically recounted as bearing human fruit.

Intriguingly, the narrative of humans sharing a profound bond with trees doesn't seem entirely foreign to the Pakpak community. Their traditions and beliefs might hold echoes of such ancient narratives. Furthermore, the Pakpak lands are renowned for their rich resources of frankincense and camphor trees, highly valuable commodities in bygone eras, adding an economic dimension to this potential link.

Linguistically, the word 'pakpak' in the Pakpak language itself carries the meaning of 'high' or 'tall'. This interpretation points towards the possibility that the naming of the tribe is deeply rooted in the geographical landscape they inhabit – the highlands or mountainous regions. Thus, the designation 'Pakpak people' could simply refer to the inhabitants of these elevated territories.

However, the exploration of the etymology of 'pakpak' doesn't end with geographical interpretations. A fascinating linguistic theory posits a connection between 'pakpak' and 'wakwak,' a term purportedly used by the inhabitants of the land of Abunawas (modern-day Iraq) in ancient times to refer to the region now known as Batak land.

Curiously, the trace of the name 'Pakpak' isn't confined to North Sumatra. We also find the name 'Fakfak' in Papua, a toponym exhibiting a striking phonetic similarity. Moreover, in the Philippines, history records a warrior named Datu Amai Pakpak or Datu Ama ni Pakpak who fiercely resisted Spanish colonization in the late 19th century.

In the annals of maritime history, particularly within Ibn Khurradadhbih's Kitab al-Masalik wa 'l-Mamalik (The Book of Roads and Kingdoms), a description of the vastness of the Indian Ocean is provided. He estimated the sea's expanse from Qulzum (the head of the Red Sea) to Waqwaq to be 4500 farsakhs.

Furthermore, he noted the distance from Qulzum to the port of Farama in the Mediterranean as 25 farsakhs. Based on meridian degree calculations, the 4500-farsakh distance to Waqwaq equated to 180 degrees, placing Waqwaq at the world's halfway point when measured from Qulzum.

Despite its fantastical descriptions and the far eastern location that casts doubt on its geographical reality, Ibn Khurradadhbih insisted that Waqwaq was a real place. He even mentioned it multiple times in his writings, describing "East China as the lands of Waqwaq, which are very rich in gold that the inhabitants use to make necklaces and chains for their dogs and monkeys. They also make woven robes of gold, and excellent ebony wood is found there in abundance." He further added that "gold and ebony are all exported from Waqwaq."

Scholars have attempted to identify the mysterious location of Waqwaq. De Goeje initially theorized that Waqwaq was Japan, although no historical evidence of a Japanese naval attack on East Africa in the 10th century was found. French scholar Gabriel Ferrand later proposed that Waqwaq might refer to Madagascar, or even Sumatra. These speculations were based on historical accounts of potential raids from the Indonesian archipelago on Madagascar and the South African coast, or the Austronesian linguistic acculturation in Madagascar.

Al-Biruni, in his 10th-century CE work Kitab al-Hind (Book on India), largely based on Sanskrit sources, mentioned a land inhabited by people born from trees and hanging from branches by their navels. From this description arises the possibility that the legend of the Waqwaq tree has roots in Sanskrit sources, and the Arab tales of Waqwaq are blurred interpretations from a time when the Indonesian archipelago was still under Hindu-Buddhist cultural influence.

The tale of the Waqwaq Tree subsequently spread westward, alongside the influx of Eastern narratives. The story appeared in one of Friar Odoric's 14th-century travel manuscripts and in a medieval French romance about Alexander the Great. The last recorded trace of the Waqwaq Tree narrative dates back to 1685, as the mysteries of the Indian Ocean began to unravel in European accounts. This mention is found in the Safinat Sulayman (The Ship of Solomon), a Persian account of a voyage to Siam (Thailand) written by an author accompanying the mission. He recounted hearing this peculiar story from a Dutch captain.

The Dutch captain narrated his voyage to China, during which they anchored in a bay of an island to escape a severe storm. On this island, they encountered inhabitants with a strange appearance, barely resembling living beings. Their legs were short, their bodies naked, and their hair exceptionally long. At night, both men and women would climb to the tops of the trees in the forest, carrying their children in their arms. Upon reaching a tree, they would tie their long hair to a branch and hang there throughout the night.

Despite the numerous manuscripts recording the existence of Waqwaq, none could definitively pinpoint its geographical location. The phonetic similarity to 'Fakfak' sparked speculation that Waqwaq might refer to the Fakfak region in West Papua. However, regardless of its true form and location, it is evident that the concept of Waqwaq has deep roots in Sanskrit Hindu texts, mentioned in the eighth century, recounted by an Arab sailor to a Chinese envoy, passed on to a French friar, and ultimately retold by a Dutch sea captain to a Persian envoy for the King of Siam. This story continues to resonate, leaving behind a mysterious trail that may extend far to the land of the Pakpak in North Sumatra.

Thursday, July 30, 2020

  • 7:38 AM
The war is not unlikely to be ended after the fate of the battle for Hodeida becomes clear. If it stops, this would be in order to reach a situation that resembles the situation in the Ukraine today, a state of no-war/no-peace because the conditions for achieving peace based on a settlement that satisfies the demands of the warring parties remains out of reach.

The international pressures calling for an end to the war waged on Yemen have intensified. Many are wondering whether the international demands to stop the war will see their way to implementation this time round, or whether these demand – especially from Western governments – are part of a PR campaign aimed at absolving certain parties from their moral and political responsibilities in light of the massacres in this country that have turned what used to be referred to as ‘Happy Yemen’ [Arabia Felix] into ‘Unhappy Yemen.’


There are no doubt reasons that render an end to the war on Yemen likely. Among the most important are what Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah referred to when he said that if stopping the war is likely, this is because the Saudi-led coalition backed by the Western governments, headed by the U.S., has reached the conviction that the war is at a stalemate and there is no hope that it can be won militarily. For this reason, the continuation of the war with all its human losses, as well as the development of the Ansarullah’s missile capabilities, the serious deterioration in the situation in Southern Yemen, and the strong conflicts between the various armed formations fighting under the banner of the ‘Arab coalition’ – are all factors that force an end to this war because its continuation will have negative consequences on the ground.

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

  • 11:27 PM
They also discussed the challenges and obstacles to boosting the economy of the region, especially the lack of a safe investment environment, dilapidated infrastructure, lack of legislations and legal regulations to control investment, lack of a licensed financial institution affiliated with SIG, and most recently the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

They also stressed the importance of exploiting the potential of the region as it contains several advantages, including the presence of large human capital, cheap workforce compared to the neighboring regions, the recent circulation of the Turkish lira, and the presence of some simple factories.

Participants in the meeting put forward a set of recommendations, including the formation of a supreme economic council or a joint committee affiliated with SIG, the conducting of a survey in the liberated areas to determine the available human and financial resources, and mapping the economy of the region.

They called for the provision of public services such as water, electricity and energy needed to operate the factories, health services, and the maintenance of some major roads to facilitate access to traditional markets.

They also recommended supporting and encouraging small and medium businesses, allocating a border area for investment, and facilitating exports. (Source: SOC’s Media Department)

Saturday, July 04, 2020

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