I’ve been listening to Dan Carlin’s podcast on World War I off and on over the past several months. With that war on my mind, this Memorial Day, it occurs to me that probably most soldiers who die in battle represent a failing on one level or another. We failed to avoid the conflict in the first place and there was a failure of imagination to solve the conflict in a way that did not cost the soldier his or her life.
As Isaac Asimov’s fictional Salvor Hardin said, “violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.” Or, if Sun Tzu is more your style, “the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
There are times where the value gained or preserved through war exceeds the costs of war itself. And there are times where the gain or preservation can only be accomplished with the loss of life. But, in retrospect, it appears that more often the gain or preservation did not match the cost. And that the loss of life could have been eliminated or lessened through better diplomacy or better strategy.
Today is a day to remember and honor the individuals who died serving our country. But I believe our debt is even greater to those who died because of our failings, the failings of the public, and the failings of our leadership and their leadership.
Dan is doing a good job with that series. I’d suggest further very accessible reading/listening can be in John Keegan’s First World War hsitory
Good thoughts, and who can disagree? What instances can be pointed out that show lessons have been learned, new ways have been tried and proven to work at least sometimes, and behaviors have changed as a result? I seriously would like to know from those who have delved into this, because I would like to be able to highlight the successes of changed behavior regards war when I have the opportunity.