MANILA
There’s deadly conflict in many parts of the world. People are killing each other with extreme prejudice.
It seems wherever one looks on the global map, there’s fighting of varying intensity. There’s a lot of hatred, a lot of distrust, and a lot of anger. Most frighteningly, there’s a lot of bloodshed.
The current hot spots are Israel, Ukraine, Iraq and Libya. The conflict in Israel intensifies everyday and the casualties are mounting. That part of the world has been a virtually permanent war zone, with Israel’s neighbors not wanting to leave it alone in peace. Many of Israel’s enemies, including the Hamas currently, don’t recognize the state of Israel and are bent on annihilating the tiny country.
Israel has waged war with practically all of its Middle Eastern neighbors precisely for the reason that the Arabs in the region don’t want Israel to exist at all. In each war Israel responded with gritty resolve, winning every time, or at least with the conflict ending in a stalemate. Until the next war.
For its hard-line stance, Israel is seen by many international observers as the aggressor in the Middle East. The Israelis contend that they go to war for self-preservation. If they don’t respond decisively, they will get erased off the face of the earth. The current conflict could degenerate into a larger cauldron that may draw in other states, including the United States, Israel’s main sponsor and supporter.
In the Ukraine, the fighting is just as intense. In Iraq, ethnic groups battle each other. In Libya there’s been no peace even after the strongman Muammar Gaddafi had been killed. Observers say the current situation is worse than when Gaddafi held sway in that North African nation. In Israel and Libya, large numbers of Filipino expatriates are caught in the middle of the conflicts.
The war in Afghanistan continues, with no end in sight. In Asia, Africa, South America and many other parts of the world armed conflict force civilians to continually live in fear. Many nations are in disarray. Democracy is often elusive, and citizens’ civil liberties are violated. These people yearn for peace but it is unattainable. War is their permanent normal.
War breaks out when people can no longer talk in peace, when communication breaks down, and when diplomacy fails. Differences are magnified and common ground is lost or abandoned. When all else fails and things go bad, war is often the unfortunate answer.
In many countries, internal strife is the result of differences in how to run the state, what political setup to use, what ideological philosophy to prevail. In others, tribal origins are what cause the conflict. Ethnic makeups of the population dictate who holds power and the reins of government. This is particularly prevalent in Africa.
But what is accomplished by war? As someone said, “War is hell.”
And yet, every so often war breaks out in near or distant parts of the world. No one gains from war. Conversely, every one, or at least many people, suffer. Deaths, injuries and tremendous loss of property, whether public or private, are what greet the survivors in the aftermath of armed conflict. Utter devastation necessitates virtually total reconstruction, which require massive amounts of resources. Families start new lives, many times with unbearable pain because of the loss of members of the family.
And yet people and nations still go to war. Nobody learns the lessons of past wars, past conflicts, past conflagrations of disastrous consequences.
Why do they do it? Why can’t nations eliminate war as a state policy?
It’s hard to come up with a rational answer. It’s hard to give an acceptable justification. It’s hard to understand.
From time immemorial man has used war to settle conflicts. From the cave to the conference room, human beings have resorted to war when they’re unable to come to terms, when they’re unable to come to a peaceful understanding, when they’re unable to shake each other’s hand and resolve to work with each other in peace. From primitive clubs to potent weapons of mass destruction, man has not stopped harming others, men have not stopped coming to blows to resolve their differences.
Repeatedly, man has resorted to war, sometimes not even as a last resort. Many of history’s mad men used war simply because they were enamored of it, in love with it, the idea of inflicting horrible pain and suffering on their enemies.
Often, cessation of wars hasn’t brought permanent peace. How will the current conflicts around the world end? Will they end in permanent, or at least long-term, peace? The history of war tells us the world will not be so lucky to have lasting and meaningful peace for long periods.
Which makes the current peace talks between the Philippine government and the Muslims of Mindanao a potential milestone of momentous significance. If indeed permanent peace reigns in Mindanao, the whole world will laud and applaud not only the government and the Muslims but all the Filipinos for successfully forging a peace settlement. It would be another achievement for the nation that gave the world people power.
That would give the world a welcome respite from global warring.