The question is whether we can rise above our tribal instincts to enhance our quality of life.
As far back as recorded history can take us humans have allowed our tribal inclinations to evolve into combat. Beyond of questions of morality or ethics, the issue is whether this inclination in now counter-productive in this global environment.
Genghis Kahn briefly ruled much of the known world(1162 to 1227) He accomplished this by massive armed conflict. However, he wasn’t a shallow person. He created a monetary system; rules for women’s rights; written language; mailing system and many other enlightened contributions. Napoléon is known as a combat genius but also pushed for ideas of science. It would be interesting to imagine the contribution great military leaders might have made if their efforts had been redirected.
When you look at the history of the United States, it has always been in a major war or a series of little ones. WWI caused 10 million military and 7 million civilian deaths. Over 60 million died in WWII.
Two million civilians on both sides died in the Vietnam conflict and over a million North Vietnamese and Viet Cong fighters died. Around 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers and over 58,000 American soldiers died.
American taxpayers have spent $6.4 trillion on post-9/11 wars and military action in the Middle East and Asia according to a report, from the Watson Institute of International and Public Affairs at Brown University. That total is $2 trillion more than the entire federal government spending during the recently completed 2019 fiscal year. The U.S. government spent $4.4 trillion during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, according to the Treasury Department.
The Brown University study also finds that more than 801,000 people have died as a direct result of fighting. Of those, more than 335,000 have been civilians. Another 21 million people have been displaced due to violence.
The reason for the wars is confusing and not well explained in the history books. As I understand it folks in Europe weren’t getting along well and some crazy person killed Archduke Ferdinand of Australia which started WWI. Everybody got back together then Hitler got into power, so another World War broke out. Now US consumers consider buying Volkswagens andNissans.
Now, ironically, all of the countries involved in these wars conduct business with each other; go on vacations to each other’s resorts; enter into economic and climate agreements; cooperate to respond to the ongoing pandemic; buy each other’s products etc. Past enemiesnow talk to each other on a cell phone from their homes.
In the United States our taxpayers funded the 2019 defense budget of $686 billion…more than the next 10 countries combined. Ironically, we don’t know if that is a reasonable budget. In 2016, the Department of Defense was the only government agency to have failed every audit since all government agencies were required to pass such audits by the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990.
A committee recently conducted a review and announced that they had no way of knowing where this money was going or if it was reasonable. As President Eisenhower said “Beware of the military industrial complex”
The following are the expenditures in 2019 dollars for some of the military actions the US has taken on…it is important to note that it is not a full list and at any given time there are military actions somewhere in the world.
WWI 381.8 billion
Korean War 389.81 billion
Vietnam 843.63 billion
War in Afghanistan 910.47 billion
Iraq 1.01 trillion
WWII 4.69 trillion
The new technology and AI we all now share has moved us from the Muskets and bows of Kahn to a time when there is an ever-expanding number ofnations that can literally blow-up Earth. I know that it isn’t likely that it will happen tomorrow but if there is any chance, then statistics tell us it will eventually happen.
The only point to my ramblings, if any, is that maybe this is the time for us to make an effort to evolve beyond tribalism and use our evolving intellect to move into a new age of cooperative growth. Imagine how well we could be living and the advancements we could have accomplished if we had spent the time, imagination, effort and those trillions of dollars on improving the human condition rather than shooting folks who would later become our friends and business associates.
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