The War on Peace

Donald Trump has been traveling across the globe recently, spreading peace and upsetting lots of powerful interests and carefully laid plans. They hate him for it and are working to do anything they can to thwart him. Aside from having Trump as a current focus, there are many parties across the world who don't want peace for a variety of reasons, and actively oppose efforts to attain it. The Middle East, Ukraine, Africa, Taiwan, South America, and wherever Trump is working for peace there are people working hard to block it. We can look at a few of their reasons.

Peace as a threat to that power

Many of those in power see peace as a threat to that power. Some see peace as a threat to their livelihood. Others simply see peace as boring.

For the powerful, peace threatens their power. For these people, peace is just a time to consolidate power and prepare for the next war. A poor and frightened populace is much more compliant and much easier to manipulate than a happy, prosperous, peaceful people. Wars and threats of wars are well-tested tools to keep people afraid. European leaders have been using the threat of Russian invasion to keep their people in line for decades. It doesn't matter that Russia can barely manage to invade Ukraine. The Russian boogeyman can be inflated to far beyond life size.

Unfortunately for the power elite, people are asking awkward questions. First came the Wizard of Oz. Will the Big Bad Russian be the next to fall? If the power elite don't have Russia to threaten with, and if peace breaks out in Ukraine, those leaders might actually have to show some accountability and solve some real problems at home. Problems like their economies, energy supplies, immigration, and many others that they have been able to sweep under the rug while distracting people with the threat of a Russian invasion.

Of course, if they can sabotage peace plans for Ukraine, they may be able to hang on to power indefinitely. Already, it seems that Ukraine has managed to remove accountability provisions from the Trump plan, and our own State Department seems bent on eliminating points that Russia deems essential--points like no NATO membership for Ukraine, and free access to the Crimean seaports. Although, if no peace agreement is reached soon, there will be no more Ukraine and the European elite will actually have to come up with something else to keep their people under thumb.

War is good for business...at least for some

Likewise in the Middle East, Hamas, Hezbollah, and even Israel all seem dissatisfied with a plan that requires them to quit trying to pound each other to dust and actually work out a way to live together. Although to be fair, Israel has some justification as its neighbors seem determined to erase them from existence. On the other side, the Left really doesn't like anyone having the ability to defend themselves from aggression as it interferes with their ability to force compliance.

Iran, a long standing thorn in the side of peace is now confronting a new problem. Their theocratic leaders, following the teachings of a seventh century religion, have squandered untold wealth trying to build a nuclear arsenal to wipe out an ancient enemy, instead of using that wealth for the betterment of their people. Iran has run out of water for their capital city of almost ten million people.

Tehran is only about fifty miles from the Caspian Sea. A modest investment in desalination capabilities, and a pipeline or two would provide Tehran with all the fresh water they might need. Unfortunately that would not satisfy their obsession with wiping out Israel and the Christian West and might even lead to peace--an intolerable and heretical abomination.

In addition to those who seek to retain or acquire power through war, there are also those who depend on it for their livelihood. As many have observed before, war is good for business, at least for some. Trillions of dollars are spent on new arms ranging from massive ships to aircraft to rifles and ammunition. Hundreds of thousands of people are employed in manufacturing these things. More are employed in supporting roles, providing food, clothing, transportation, and all the many other needs of armies. That doesn't even include all the construction involved in rebuilding.

Many see war as not only a chance to right old wrongs

Besides the direct revenues of war and reconstruction, there is the social benefit of war. Old orders are weakened or even destroyed. Fortunes are lost and gained. Powerful elites are displaced and new opportunists take over. Properties are left ownerless to be claimed by the victors, or ownerships are declared void or invalid by new authorities.

Many see war as not only a chance to right old wrongs, but as a form of social mobility. War forms a justification for confiscation and redistribution. This is especially true when Communists or Socialists win wars. Just look at China, Vietnam, the former USSR. Look at many other countries where Socialists once ruled, and who are now trying to unscramble the chaos of that rule. War is quite popular with those who feel they aren't getting their fair share. Envy and greed are powerful forces.

Finally, peace is boring, at least in the minds of many who have never experienced war directly. Generally, those minds belong to the young of a generation who see war as romantic, a grand struggle to right wrongs, an opportunity to fix the failings of the generations before them, and even as a chance to test themselves in fiery conflict. Certainly, war is exciting; it is more interesting than getting a job, building a family, and participating in a peaceful society. As Winston Churchill said, "Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result". During the Vietnam war, many sought simply to answer the question: would they fight or run?

There is a great irony in the idea of fighting for peace

War seems to be a generational event--something that occurs every eighteen to twenty years on average, although there are exceptions where war seems to be continuous as in times of empire building. In the US, we have a generational history, with the most recent being Afghanistan and Iraq, and proceeding backward through history with the Gulf War, Vietnam, Korea, WWII, WWI, the Spanish-American war, the Indian wars, the Civil War, the Mexican-American war, the War of 1812, the American-Algerian war, the Revolutionary War, the French and Indian War, just to name a few.

Most of those who participate in war, however willingly originally, usually end up agreeing that peace isn't so bad after all. Those of a generation who did not directly experience combat and devastation--the human costs of war--are often those who are most in favor of a new war. That includes most of the current leadership of the European Union, as well as most of our own war hawks. They are the ones who see opportunities for power and wealth in war, and who are willing to prey on the ignorance of their youth to support their ambitions. A top French general recently said that the French should be “prepared to lose its children” in the Ukraine conflict.

There is a great irony in the idea of fighting for peace. Unfortunately, participation is seldom voluntary--clearly the case in defensive war, but also when leaders and rulers employ conscription to support their aspirations of conquest.

War has too many friends to allow peace to persist long in any culture or country. There will always be wars and rumors of war in abundance. Those who truly understand and seek peace are rare. There is a reason why " Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." Peace is a product of maturity and wisdom, both in short supply in almost every time. Maybe it is finally time to grow up. I'm not holding my breath, though.

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