Making peace
September 6, 2024
Wars are a testament to humanity’s ability to wage violence: a statement so self-evident yet exceedingly elusive. The September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon marked a turning point for the way wars are conducted on the global stage. Not only was it a tragic loss of civilian life on a scale seldom seen before in world history, but it also marked a fundamental shift in international conflicts from a traditional nation-to-nation format to a flexible arrangement where non-state parties actively participate in armed disputes.
The introduction of non-state actors is problematic and causes the unnecessary loss of civilian life. Non-state actors are not beholden to any constituency which means they do not have any obligation to make peace or evaluate the righteousness of their actions. Even the most totalitarian regimes must have some, albeit limited, responsibility to maintain the happiness of their citizens. Modern non-state actors are effectively mercenaries except that they operate for certain ideologies and principles instead of financial incentives and make the decisions war sovereigns would typically make. The heightened operational authority they hold as well as the motivation they have gives them almost no reason to make peace. The practice of blending in militants within the civilian populace and employing urban warfare gives an even higher risk of civilian collateral damage.
“Total war” is an archaic concept that should have been gradually phased out since Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses II signed the first peace treaty with the Hittites after the Battle of Kadesh. In the millennia leading up to the Second World War, such a “civilized” method of fighting wars— if they could ever be described as such— was the norm rather than the exception. However, after the advent of nuclear weapons, “fair” wars with declared beginnings and defined ends gradually phased out in favor of proxy wars with paramilitary units in often urban settings. Massive civilian casualties became the cost. Albert Einstein is reported to have said, “I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” In a way, modern wars are already fought with primitive philosophies and in often brutal and uncivilized ways. From the mistreatment of prisoners to the lack of ceasefires, warfare regressed, causing more suffering and incessantly hurting the lives of more people.
War is never right and must be stopped. Nations and political groups— Western democracies included— must stop the funding of military groups participating in undeclared asymmetrical warfare. Even though such wings could help execute short-term goals, the long-term instability and precedent severely damage the ever-present cause for world peace.