- Unfortunately, humankind never comprehends the futility and/or eventual consequences of waging any war that always results in precious loss of lives and properties on both sides of the main players. No one can claim a pyrrhic victory in a war simply because the losses sustained from every side are humongous. Yes, elephantine pride may get assuaged while one claims victory over another, but the fact of the matter is, the destructive nature of waging war always leaves behind misery/agony. The ongoing US-Israel-Iran war further corroborates the nature of the war as the whole global community is experiencing the heat generated by the conflict because of the severe shortage of energy supplies. Thankfully, a ceasefire has been announced for two weeksnow.
PC: The Financial Express
- Amid disturbing visuals emerging from the war-ravaged regions of the Middle East/West Asia, a dramatic but praiseworthy effort to rescue a soldier of the USA made for an interesting read. The daring rescue act of the shot down US F-15 crew member over Iran upholds the virtue of every life as valuable, deserving to be saved, whatever the cost. Of course, the operation cost around $300mn by some estimates. But that misses the point – America rescues its soldiers because it believes no price is too high to save them. A worthy policy. What about other lives, though? What value do we place on the lives of enemy soldiers and non-combatants on both sides? At least 1,600 Iranian civilians, including around 250 children, have died in US and Israeli strikes thus far.
PC: Kashmir Observer
- Further, in Lebanon, the civilian toll is touching 1,500. Israel’s toll is smaller, but considering that it’s fighting a war of choice, all casualties were avoidable. And Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, etc., aren’t even at war, but have lost people. Could this war have occurred if both parties to the dispute had considered all life valuable? India, with its long pacifist tradition, is attuned to such thinking, but it’s time other nations paid heed, too. That’s because a future that’s far bloodier than the present no longer seems unthinkable. For a long time, it was believed that WW2’s devastation had inoculated the world against wars. But Ukraine, Iran, Gaza, Sudan, and other conflicts, big and small, have shaken that certainty. Sworn pacifists like Japan and Germany are considering militarization.
PC: NPR
- The media, too, could assess the priorities before going ballistic. The US airman’s rescue has turned the narrative to American glory. But a barrage of celebratory stories veils the suffering of the other side. It’s as though the real purpose of war isn’t killing, but heroic rescues. We know that narratives shape wars. Notably, Vietnam is remembered even now more for the loss of 58,000 US troops than the deaths of an estimated 3mn Vietnamese. Borrowing the US military principle underlying the rescue – No Man Left Behind – the media shouldn’t allow asymmetry of the battlefield to colour the tragedy of non-combatants. Because all life is valuable, the suffering of every man, woman, and child should be told. And there are never any winners in a war. Period.
