The history of humanity is the history of wars. It is a sad story because it has been long and gruesome and it is not about to end anytime soon. The willingness to kill is not abating. The ease with which we can kill is now greater than ever. 60 million people were killed in WWII, and lately millions are being killed in numerous wars all over the world, they are many and just will not end.
A newly developed rocket system from Norway can be fitted to planes of many kinds, it can be launched from boats at sea. It will probably sell in thousands. The media is full of reports of innovation in weapons. The jobs and the money are the main issues. Morals is no longer on the agenda.
The latest is the build up of bases for drones or global hawks that can survey the Earth from a height of 60000 feet or twice the height of commercial planes. In Afghanistan drones are equipped with weapons too, and the Israeli shield against rockets from Gaza can shoot down most incoming missiles. The Chinese have built a cruiser and a fighter plane has successfully landed on it. And there is a cyberwar coming up.
There is continuous innovation in weaponry, there is no end to that, there is continuous killing and there is no end to that. Making and selling weapons is big business, the size of the business is huge, profits can be taken quite easily. Everybody that wants to kill has ample supplies of weapons, and the big shootout represented by a new world war is looming.
Sitting back in a cool and logical frame of mind surveying the situation one can justifiably say that this is a picture of an insalubrious world.. The leaders of the world are at the moment making the world insalubrious.
The main force behind this is the US. It is a permanently militarized nation, just like Israel, many Arab countries. The US military budget is about 50% of the world’s military budget, as well as being far too big for the US to sustain for much longer. Many nations have huge exports of weapons. The total worth of weapons procurement is probably more than a trillion dollars worth (Wikipedia Arms Industry).
It is all about security now, it is not so much about occupation any more, it is about security and stability, it is about making wars to be able to stop wars they say (Obama).
The US drones are being spread around, NATO has them, drones are used in Afghanistan, there are bases in Australia…. Nobody knows any longer where they are and will be. Maybe other nations have drones too. Drones can easily be turned into robots that are dispatched from a base, carrying its own intelligence and doing a predetermined job. The risks are unfathomable and this is a cynical game.
The history of wars is one of bows and arrows, horses, shielding, spears, swords, explosives, engines for planes and vehicles, automatic weapons, telecommunications, flamethrowers, toxic weapons, radars, drones, atomic bombs, helicopters, starwars, shields, atomic subs, guided missiles, lasers, neurological substances, cyberwars, robots that kill, advanced control and guidance systems.
There is profits to be had, there are jobs in the thousands so this will just keep on rolling. The politics and public relations efforts are joining in building great forces powering it all.
What we can do, each of us? Turn your attention elsewhere, think of good deeds to do for yourself and your nearest, work hard to have a good life. There is not much else you can do till your time comes. Do not worry, it is no use.
This is big, you know.
Costa Rica abolished its army in 1949. They are are probably using their money for better things than military expenses: “The budget previously dedicated to the military now is dedicated to security, education and culture”. President Eisenhower said that for the price of a destroyer you could build several thousand houses for people.
What do you think?