03-09-2005, 12:38 AM
And on Page 5
Sunil said
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->In my pessimistic view, there will never be total "war" or total "peace", throughout human history, there have largely been conditions of "not war" and "not peace". Conflicts have simmered under the surface, and wherever possible they have boiled up into massive events that disrupted social order.
To its proponents, every "peace" has been an "unjust peace", and every "war" has been a "Just War". Actually (again in passing only), the Mahabharat presents a vivid case of an unjust peace that puts the political elite of its time into considerable confusion and eventually gives way to a "Just War". Per the story the perpetration of a single provocation creates a period of political stability, but this illusion quickly disintegrates and a cataclysmic "war" results. The results of this war are so debiltating that even the victors lose their taste for the fruits of victory.
The political elite of every time, in my opinion, subtlely seeks a fantasy; the fantasy of unchallenged power and this every so surreptitiously drives them towards a "Just War". For in a "Just War", social conscience and political review is suspended, and the citizens voluntarily submit to the will of the state. In the case of Pakistan this is quite visible.
It may also be noted that in Pakistan, the political elite have fallen into a trap. They have become slaves of their fantasy, and the conduct of "Just War" has eroded society completely - social conscience is dead and so is political review. Without these the state quickly loses its moral foundation. So in order to ward off a complete state collapse, they have to keep fighting a "Just War".
Everyone is prone to this - including Indians, Americans, Martians, etc...
Again (in passing only) returning to the Mahabharat, the political elite of the time are put to considerable strain trying to devise a justification for the "Just War" and very quickly the "Just War" departs from the parameters set in the rules of War. This corruption of War, in turn causes the complete erosion of the moral authority of the elite. So severe is this erosion, that after the war ends, the victors soon abdicate - handing over the spoils of victory to a completely new person.
Viewed in this fashion, I feel one gets a sense of the broad corners of a "War". It may help to keep this in mind when contemplating a war with Pakistan.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Sunil said
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->In my pessimistic view, there will never be total "war" or total "peace", throughout human history, there have largely been conditions of "not war" and "not peace". Conflicts have simmered under the surface, and wherever possible they have boiled up into massive events that disrupted social order.
To its proponents, every "peace" has been an "unjust peace", and every "war" has been a "Just War". Actually (again in passing only), the Mahabharat presents a vivid case of an unjust peace that puts the political elite of its time into considerable confusion and eventually gives way to a "Just War". Per the story the perpetration of a single provocation creates a period of political stability, but this illusion quickly disintegrates and a cataclysmic "war" results. The results of this war are so debiltating that even the victors lose their taste for the fruits of victory.
The political elite of every time, in my opinion, subtlely seeks a fantasy; the fantasy of unchallenged power and this every so surreptitiously drives them towards a "Just War". For in a "Just War", social conscience and political review is suspended, and the citizens voluntarily submit to the will of the state. In the case of Pakistan this is quite visible.
It may also be noted that in Pakistan, the political elite have fallen into a trap. They have become slaves of their fantasy, and the conduct of "Just War" has eroded society completely - social conscience is dead and so is political review. Without these the state quickly loses its moral foundation. So in order to ward off a complete state collapse, they have to keep fighting a "Just War".
Everyone is prone to this - including Indians, Americans, Martians, etc...
Again (in passing only) returning to the Mahabharat, the political elite of the time are put to considerable strain trying to devise a justification for the "Just War" and very quickly the "Just War" departs from the parameters set in the rules of War. This corruption of War, in turn causes the complete erosion of the moral authority of the elite. So severe is this erosion, that after the war ends, the victors soon abdicate - handing over the spoils of victory to a completely new person.
Viewed in this fashion, I feel one gets a sense of the broad corners of a "War". It may help to keep this in mind when contemplating a war with Pakistan.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->