Kaimani Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 I suppose it depends on the stake you have in a given conflict. If it's profiteering from selling arms, banking, trade routes, corporate expansion etc., investors will inevitably favour the conditions that ensure "blood is running in the streets". It stands to reason, given the lucrative nature of war, strategic funding and lobbying will be employed by the wealthiest entities in order to perpetuate these conditions. They are not daft. Why that is so difficult for people to comprehend, given the amoral and relentless nature of capital and growth in this day and age, is beyond me. I'd say the problem is almost the opposite. people comprehend it. they know. and, an 'educated' guess this, we have more people alive now than at any time in our history that have first hand experience of war. and 24/7 media fills in the gaps for those of us who have not been to war. we know what it does. we see it every day. we comprehend. what worries us so much is that we feel so guilty, see so much, know we're so capable of changing things...yet do nothing. i think that's what eats away at us the most. not ignorance or naivete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaimani Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Exactly, we do not always know the underlying reasons why operations are carried out, more importantly (relative to this thread) neither do those directly involved in the conflict. as they say 'war is old men lying, and young men dying.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harvey19 Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 I'd say the problem is almost the opposite. people comprehend it. they know. and, an 'educated' guess this, we have more people alive now than at any time in our history that have first hand experience of war. and 24/7 media fills in the gaps for those of us who have not been to war. we know what it does. we see it every day. we comprehend. what worries us so much is that we feel so guilty, see so much, know we're so capable of changing things...yet do nothing. i think that's what eats away at us the most. not ignorance or naivete Did you watch Question Time last night when Paddy Ashdown an experienced ex soldier spoke against the killing of Mr. Bin Laden and said that the man should have been captured and put on trial if possible. Others on the panel who had not served in the forces or been involved in armed conflict were saying he should have been killed regardless. Interesting who took which viewpoint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaimani Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Did you watch Question Time last night when Paddy Ashdown an experienced ex soldier spoke against the killing of Mr. Bin Laden and said that the man should have been captured and put on trial if possible. Others on the panel who had not served in the forces or been involved in armed conflict were saying he should have been killed regardless. Interesting who took which viewpoint. missed it. will look it up. but, yeah, you're right. it's always strange. families of victims of crime forgiving the killer while others cry for the noose. ex-soldiers making the best peace activists etc. strange. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mj.scuba Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Did you watch Question Time last night when Paddy Ashdown an experienced ex soldier spoke against the killing of Mr. Bin Laden and said that the man should have been captured and put on trial if possible. Others on the panel who had not served in the forces or been involved in armed conflict were saying he should have been killed regardless. Interesting who took which viewpoint. I was surprised with what Paddy had to say tbh and the naivity of most of the panel. I get what he says about it being an extrajudicial killing, but then most killing in warfare in extrajudicial isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harvey19 Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 I was surprised with what Paddy had to say tbh and the naivity of most of the panel. I get what he says about it being an extrajudicial killing, but then most killing in warfare in extrajudicial isn't it? I think Mr. Ashdown will have been influenced by the Yellow Card that was issued and presumably is still issued to soldiers. It details the circumstance whens a soldier can open fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaimani Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 I was surprised with what Paddy had to say tbh and the naivity of most of the panel. I get what he says about it being an extrajudicial killing, but then most killing in warfare in extrajudicial isn't it? the war on terror, you mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassman62 Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Falklands war? The Falklanders are british subjects who'd been overun by a fascist regime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassman62 Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 I think Mr. Ashdown will have been influenced by the Yellow Card that was issued and presumably is still issued to soldiers. It details the circumstance whens a soldier can open fire. We had to shout halt in three languages when on guard in Cyprus in the 60s, we then had to count how many suspects there were if there were more than ten then some had to be sent off because we only had ten bullets. Of course Alien wil say it isn't true as he insists I was never in the army. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaimani Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 The Falklanders are british subjects who'd been overun by a fascist regime. it was a regime that was saying they were getting their territory back. which is not a lie. even in that war, they were hardly fighting for 'our freedom' were they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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