Having examined the modern history spanning sixty years, it appears that the sole issue today lies within mankind.
Sixty years ago, battles raged in Korea. Presently, conflicts continue, albeit in different nations. The fight in Korea aimed to secure freedom and democracy for its people. Nowadays, these same justifications are invoked to instigate wars in an increasing number of countries.
If these reasons hold merit, why are they not pursued universally?
Individuals striving for freedom, who elected their governments and engaged in protests, were abandoned in the face of larger, more capable nations that could defend themselves—consider Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, China, and Russia. Tyrants, despots, and dictators seized control of nations through force and maintained it through fear.
Did the western powers intervene to overthrow these tyrants in the same way they did in Iraq?
Why deploy troops to Afghanistan when others had met with disastrous failure?
Currently, America, Britain, and France are issuing threats towards Libya. The common thread in this narrative is the inherent violence within humanity.
We fail to glean lessons from history.
Is Korea truly free, or remains it divided? The West faced defeat in Vietnam; do they enjoy freedom now?
While Hungary faced no violence from other nations… they achieved freedom… and Poland fared similarly.
China responds ruthlessly to protesters; yet gradually, its citizens are gaining more liberties. Russia evolves daily, with hopes of attaining peace with its neighboring countries.
If we persist without acknowledging the warnings of history, the outcome can only lead to further violence.
History provides an overview, an answer viewed with hindsight. We observe the outcomes without needing to address the underlying symptoms. Symptoms include greed, oil, terrorism, and religion.
The trajectory of humanity’s history is regrettably marked by violence… the tendency to resort to brute force if conflicts don’t resolve easily.
Had I been a student of Modern History, I might have opted to switch to meditation instead. Then I would have remained in bed until it all concluded.
Entering into conflict is effortless; extricating oneself is exponentially more challenging. Perhaps the US President has come to this realization and is seeking to delegate responsibility before becoming too entangled.
If the US conducts bombings in Libya, will Yemen be the next target… who comes after?
by Professor P.T. Brown
