Kuala Lampur, Oct. 21 -- In 1937, the Basque town of Guernica was reduced to rubble in a bombing that shocked the world. Picasso's haunting mural transformed that atrocity into a permanent cry against fascism.

Nearly a century later, the echoes of Guernica can still be heard in Mariupol, in Sittwe, and in Gaza City.

The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) was more than a domestic conflict.

It was the rehearsal for modern warfare and propaganda, a confrontation between democracy and dictatorship, truth and terror.

Half a million people died as the world watched and debated, but chose not to act. The lesson was clear: when the world remains silent, injustice learns to survive.

Spain's warning to the 21st century

In the 1930s, Spain was a fr...