As the war in the Middle East continues to unfold, it is difficult to remain untouched by the images, stories, and consequences that surround us. Families displaced, lives lost, travellers stranded far from home, and entire societies living under sustained fear and uncertainty. In moments such as these, any reflection on leadership must begin with humility.

It is important to acknowledge something that is often overlooked in conversations about conflict: those engaged in war rarely see themselves as acting without purpose. On the contrary, every party involved believes it is acting in the service of its people, its values, and its understanding of justice or security. The challenge, therefore, is not an absence of purpose, but the narrowness of the purposes being pursued.

When purpose is defined only within national, ideological, religious, or territorial boundaries, it can legitimise actions that cause immense suffering beyond those borders. Purpose, when disconnected from a wider moral horizon, becomes a powerful justification for harm.

This raises a difficult but necessary question: What would it mean to act purposefully in a world at war?

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