The evil spreads like cancer.

Much of the news at the moment is understandably focussed on the slaughter in Gaza.  There have been plenty of analyses of the situation but all the rhetoric doesn't stop the carnage.  It is, in my opinion, symptomatic of an evil streak within the human race that, despite our obvious intelligence, seems to spread like the most deadly cancer within societies.  It is 'legitimised' by vast expenditure and allocation of resources on war machines around the world, usually in the name of 'defence'!  Expenditure on defence increases year-on-year.  Why?  Because one nation will always want to make sure it's defence capability is greater than its enemy's offensive capability.  Of course, the enemy will want to ensure its offensive (which now becomes defensive) capability is greater than its enemy's defensive (which now becomes offensive) capability.  This is what is commonly known as an arms race.

Let's return to Gaza.  A very simplistic analysis of the tragedy is that Hamas is firing rockets at Israel, so Israel is defending itself by bombing the hell out of Gaza.  That, in my opinion , is a very simple summary of the symptom, not the underlying problem.  To try to understand and articulate the latter would require research that would probably take me at least another twenty blog posts.  So I won't try. That said, no matter how tense and for whatever reason that region of the world is, the slightest tension tends to result in resorting to force with highly sophisticated weaponry.  The decision to take military action might only involve a handful of politicians on each side who, by the way, are unlikely to be personally and directly involved in the military action.  You won't see Benjamin Netanyahu or Khaled Meshaal fighting on the streets of Gaza City.   Maybe if that was a requirement, both participants in this dreadful war would feel differently towards achieving a negotiated, lasting settlement.

In my view, the real impediment to peace and catalyst for future military confrontation, is the availability of deadly military capability, which is used as the option of first resort.  I have explained the arms race, which is an example of a vicious circle.  Maybe world governments need to put more effort into converting the viscous circle to a virtuous circle.  If nation A reduces its military capability, then its enemy, nation B, should logically do likewise.  This should lead to nation A continuing its arms reduction........and so it goes on........vicious becomes virtuous.  An unachievable utopia you might think but I'm more optimistic.  The decision for conflict is made by a very small minority of the population.  But those affected by the military actions, defenceless civilians, are a large majority of the population and, for example, in Gaza City the entire community lives in fear and trepidation.

So let the majority have it's say.  Let's stop this foolishness and stem the spread of evil.  A lasting settlement will only, in my opinion, be achievable with progressive and rapid arms reduction, which requires demonstrable action by those nations that are funding the arms race.  War does not determine who is right - only who is left (Bertrand Russell).