There is a documentary narrated by Orson Welles that describes Nostradamus's predictions. The main theme of the documentary suggests that since Nostradamus predicted many incidents beforehand in his mysterious quatrains, he may also tell what will happen in the future. According to the predictions of the renowned soothsayer who lived during the 16th century, the world will witness three antichrists who will cause great catastrophes and cover the earth with blood and fire. According to enthusiasts in the field, the first antichrist was Napoleon and the second was Hitler. Nostradamus also presents some details about the third antichrist. According to him, this third antichrist will emerge in the Middle East and devastate many great cities in America and Europe by confronting the West as a whole. A world war that would break out in 1994 would end in 1999 with the death of the antichrist, but the regional war would go on for 27 years following his death. And a millennium of peace would follow the end of the war.
The documentary presents this last part with frames from low-quality films. An Islamic sultan is displayed while giving orders to launch missiles at the West. Fortunately, the documentary ends just after it starts to turn into clumsy anti-Islam propaganda. Today, for many people, the last prediction of Nostradamus might have come true. But now we are confronted with not one antichrist, but a region that bears the potential of producing innumerable antichrists. The peculiarities of an antichrist now seem to be attributed to a cursed region rather than a person. Millions of people affected by this curse are trying to hold on to the West as minor antichrists by fleeing their homelands.
Turkey is hosting the G20 Leaders Summit as the term president amid this picture. Some 20 countries with the highest national gross domestic products are trying to contribute to making the world a more livable place by considering identity-related and cultural aspects. However, everyone already knows that this is a perfunctory effort since the perspective of a modernist nation-state belongs in the context of an unnamed cold war that prevails while looking at the problems of today's global postmodern world. This approach has a self-seeking and pragmatist principle that disregards morals. Since it is not realistic to attain something that is good for everyone, it should be contented with the thing that is not bad for one's own.
Since everyone is looking through this lens, the fundamental problems of the world pass from hand to hand between countries just like a hot potato that is barely touchable. Everyone is struggling to pass on these problems to others before they get burned. However, the things that are passed from hand to hand are humans most of the time. Masses are losing their lives, limbs, relatives, homes, possessions and all kinds of future dreams and hopes within the network of insensitive yet "civilized" relations.
Today, the most crucial subject to be negotiated at the G20 summit is the refugee crisis. It is followed by the question of how the calculated and allowed chaos in the Middle East will evolve in the future. Will the members of this platform continue to treat Syrian refugees and immigrants as if they were antichrists or will they do what is necessary by admitting their own responsibility in providing them humanitarian living conditions? Will they approach the matter of keeping the Middle East open to division and radicalization pragmatically, or will they come to terms on the subject by understanding that forming a humanitarian order in the region is only possible through the world's collective humanitarian approach to the region?
Nostradamus said that all predictions of death or dismal fate are preventable. Unfortunately, we cannot be that optimistic today when we, as the subjects experiencing catastrophe and death, look at the powers that be.