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Western nations haven't learned wars don't work
By Jacob von Bisterfeld |
April 26, 2011, Tuesday
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IT is generally accepted that those who resort to a physical fight, by way of fisticuffs, supplemented by knives or pistols, are at the lower end of society and, not infrequently, considered to be of a lower level of intelligence.
Yet, when international disputes are to be solved, resorting to force by way of an all-out war is, unbelievably in 2011, still considered acceptable by some, even in highly developed societies. The German word for "war" is: "krieg," from "kriegen," to get, to obtain; in other words, to steal (from a prosperous neighbor).
Is it not about time that we stop using arms to solve conflicts?
One would have thought that the major Western powers had learned lessons from recent history: that military problem solving in the past 60 years has proven not only to be ineffective but downright counter productive, futile and costly.
Take the 1950 American-supported war in Korea, which left more than 300,000 dead and wounded with, to date, no peace treaty in sight.
Battle costs to the foreign powers in today's money: about US$700 billion.
The war in Vietnam, ultimately, resulted in more than 2 million lives lost, lasted 10 years and left the country in ruins; even today, hapless citizens have their legs blown off by buried landmines.
The last of the Americans left Saigon, tail between their legs, with a helicopter from the American Embassy grounds in Vietnam in 1973.
Costs in today's money: About US$900 billion.
The war in Afghanistan started in 2001 and has so far claimed more than 50,000 dead and wounded.
Costs in today's money to the invaders: About US$250 billion.
The war in Iraq, which has been raging since 2003, has so far, by various counts, cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, destroyed a prosperous country and caused the much-needed intelligentsia to flee the country, leaving religious zealots to continue killing each other in an orgy of destruction.
Direct battle costs in today's money: About US$900 billion.
And now Colonel Ghadaffi is deemed to need to be taught a lesson.
Had Mr Ghadaffi been left alone to solve his country's problems, casualties would likely have been only in the dozens, with minimal damage to infrastructure.
So far, the actions and reactions of the Western powers in their wars have proven to be worse than that of a bull in a porcelain shop: Total devastation, heavy loss of life; an intelligentsia that have fled; beautiful countries in ruins and on the brink of bankruptcy.
When will they ever learn?
More important: When will WE ever learn?
(Jacob von Bisterfeld is a free-lancer writer based in Shanghai. The views expressed are his own.)
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