Daily Times

As the first month of 2019, comes to an end, the world continues to be plagued with incessant war. It is something that never changes. Even in the modern global village, war and weaponry remain one of the largest expenditure for states. Armaments go deep into human psyche and the inventions of today are mostly manifestations of progress intended for war. There was never a time in the history of the world when there was no war, and there was no century in which dominant nations did not test their strengths in the fields of battle. As new paradigms are unlocked and advanced techniques of information gathering and waging destruction are invented, there is cause to worry. Conflicts across the continents are cropping up and the old ones continue to soar. Is the current generation ready for another world war?

In 485 BC, the great emperor Xerxes I of Persia launched an army of 60,000 soldiers against Greece, these were the two dominant nations of the time. The saga of Greco-Persian wars continued until the defeat of Darius by Alexander the great of Macedonia. From there on, the Romans took the reign of waging structural war. For more than 1500 years, the Romans retained the leadership of the world and made Rome the center of all attention, through sophisticated methods of military might. After the Romans, the Muslims managed to control over three continents with the best military strategists available at the time. In the sub-continent, the Mughals achieved immense power and influence through the effective use of gunpowder and cavalry. Similarly, Turks retained power up till the dissolution of the Caliphate by Kemal Ataturk following the First World War. Moreover, a superior navy and excellent military management made the British, the dominant nation on the planet. And as a result of the Second World War, the Americans rose to dominance as well. Today, as with any other time, the defense budget of the United States is more than the defense budget of all countries of the world combined. They control all the oceans and have presence on almost every continent. The perpetuation of such power and might can only be sustained with continued war and armaments.

There have been efforts to minimize the utilization of brutal technology in war but the narrative dictates that technology is a brainchild of human warfare. We only have to scratch the surface, and find out that combat and hostility are still a part of our daily lives

When it comes to inventions and discoveries, even today, war is at the center of it all. The scientific designs of today are primarily made to wage war or were previously part of a scheme to assist in one. The modern cell phones fitted with microchips were initially designed by American scientists for reconnaissance purposes during the cold war. Similarly, internet and cameras are also products of the war era. No matter how many peace forums we develop, war will always be connected with us. Nuclear technology which is being used to generate electricity in many countries was basically a tool of massive war, that is, the nuclear fission and fusion bombs. Space rockets being used today by astronauts to navigate space were once, missiles used to kill other human beings and destroy enemy targets. Biological and chemical weapons are a menace that the world has failed to tackle and active nerve agents were used in the war in Syria in 2018. There have been efforts to minimize the utilization of brutal technology in war but the narrative dictates that technology is a brainchild of human warfare. We only have to scratch the surface, and find out that combat and hostility are still a part of our daily lives.

In earlier times, wars were won with tactics and then with superior numbers. The Second World War proved that conflicts and battles rely on technology. Superiority in numbers is no longer the competitive advantage. With the advent of modern communication, aeronautical and ballistics technology, wars are won with the click of buttons. More so, even before the utilization of military prowess, the real war is fought on economic terms. The Great Britain, the United States and countries like Israel have proved that whosoever controls economic power coupled with state of the art military equipment, can do whatever they wish in their respective regions. That alone, is an incentive to war, to those who are oppressed by the mighty and those who want to maintain their prowess.

Further analyzing the economic perspective, one can observe the extremities of inequality in terms of resources and wealth. The richest 20 percent of the world’s population control more than 80 percent of the resources. This, according to experts, is a sure shot indicator of an oncoming war. It is simply not possible to continue living in abject poverty, only made worse with illiteracy, corruption and extremism. Among the powerful nations of the world, Russia is steadily losing its grip on financial stability. Putin’s reforms have failed to rescue the nation from the debt crisis and dependency on Western countries. In its frustration, Russia has ventured into Syria seeking a supply chain of cheap fuel to keep its industry and massive economy afloat. Similarly, China, which is considered by many as the next superpower, is still massively poverty stricken. A minor population on the whole is affluent while the burden of being the largest population in the world is not maintainable without sorting out dominance on the International forum. A neo cold war has already begun as Chinese intelligence has launched a full-fledged campaign to monitor and minimize American presence in the Pacific.

The United States owns 25 percent of the goods exported in the entire world. The defense budget exceeds all other nations. The Americans are heavily engaged in military standoffs and active battlefields across the globe. As the economic benefits of consumer culture start to dwindle in the context of business recession, competitive advantage will lie with taking a chunk off other nation’s exports. Donald Trump has openly raised tariffs on Chinese exports and is propagating the same course of action among NATO allies. If the Chinese Government is unable to feed its massive population due to collusion of a few rich countries, there is bound to be a military conflict. It can be inferred that in this age and technology, a full blown war between nations like China and the United States will be nothing less than catastrophic.

According to some writers like Samuel Huntington and George Friedman, war is chaos, and chaos is not always bad for everyone. For some, it is disastrous, for others it proves to be a blessing in disguise. Had there been no Second World War, there would have been no American Supremacy. Wars are happening today and will probably escalate in future. Regrettably, even after the massacres of the two World Wars, mankind has failed to devise anti-war mechanisms and systems. As some nations rise and some decline, there will be power struggles, and bloody wars are the process through which the verdict of winners and losers is made, in any case, mankind will go through agony and will once again come to realize, that war is not the answer. Only this time, with scientific progress, the destruction and devastation will be irreversible and deadlier than ever before.

The Writer is Chairman of Jinnah Rafi Foundation

Published in Daily Times, February 8^th 2019.