Machiavelli said that war can only be delayed at one's expense or advantage, but it cannot be avoided. Of course the author of The Prince lived not only in a time of great renaissance, but also one of unspeakable violence.
From the various inquisitions to various religious crusades, and occupying campaigns, society's appetite for violence and war has been great. Before, and since the time of Nicolo Machiavelli we have waged war with much diligence, and fervour.
However, despite the fact that we have a greater capacity to cause death and destruction like no other time in history, things are getting more peaceful, and not only that, the nature of peace itself is changing.
The Function Of War
My daughter once asked me a very interesting question, she asked; daddy, when was the first ever war? I didn't know the answer, so I consulted the Grand Wizard Google, who informed me that the first recorded war took place in Mesopotamia (Iraq) in 2700 BCE between Sumer and Elam . . .
What will be of no surprise to you, as it wasn't to me, was that the reasons for war have remained fairly constant. Wars are waged so that nations may have an advantage of resources over their rivals.
Hence wars are fought for fertile land, oil, precious metals, and many more.
What is in fact interesting as we look back at these historical conflicts, is to notice that it isn't the nature of war which is changing, but rather the anatomy of peace.
What we mean by peace today, is very different to what was meant by it in yesteryear. For example, in 1930 peace between Germany and France meant, the two nations are not at war at the moment, however it is possible.
If we go back to medieval England, when people said there is peace between England and France, or Spain and Portugal, they too meant the same thing as above. They are at peace now, however that could change.
Today when we say there is peace between America and Germany, we mean there is no conceivable situation in which those two nations would ever be at war.
Even if we choose two nations that are militarily matched, say Sweden and Denmark. There is absolutely no scenario in which we can imagine those two nations ever going to war with each other.
What's In A Resource?
Perhaps the nature of peace has changed because what we might call a resource has also metamorphosed into something quite different.
Natural resources used to encompass all the things mentioned above, from oil to minerals. However in the 21st century things aren't so cut and dried. Today we can count software, and digital infrastructure as a natural resource.
It would make no sense for China to invade Japan to try and grab the intellectual property rights surrounding its cameras or video game consoles. More rather it tries to gain control of these things via economic tactics, rather than military ones.
Thus we are in a situation whereby China would have much more to lose, via business collaborations, than it would ever gain by going to war with Japan, even though in military terms they could crush them.
The Changing Face Of War
So whilst conventional war is becoming a less viable option, the base reason we go to war still exists. That is; my group is better than your group, and I want my group to be stronger than yours.
Today wars can be raged in cyberspace without the knowledge of anyone but the main protagonists. Corporate and government sponsored malware traded between nations who are at peace, is used in place of bombs and soldiers.
For as long as humans have anything to do with it, some of us will not be able to rest until we dominate our rivals, it is what drives us ever onward.
To that respect, maybe Nicolo Machiavelli was right after all;
War cannot be avoided, merely deferred.
Cryptogee Musings Table Of Contents - #1
THIS MUSING WAS IN PART INSPIRED BY COMMENTS MADE BY SEVERAL PEOPLE ON THE @QUILLFIRE FOR THE PEOPLE ARTICLE. SO PLEASE VISIT THAT LINK AND CHECK THE COMMENT SECTION FOR MORE DISCUSSIONS ON THE SUBJECTS OF WAR AND THE LAW (ORIGINAL FOCUS OF ARTICLE)
I'M STILL MULLING OVER THIS SUBJECT, HOWEVER FOR NOW I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT YOU FEEL ABOUT MODERN WARFARE. HAVE THINGS CHANGED, OR IS IT JUST SAME OLD, SAME OLD?
AS EVER, LET ME KNOW BELOW!