New Zealand At War

So New Zealand is going to war again.

After surviving two world wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, you would think we would have learned some lessons in the twentieth century.

No matter what the propagandists may say, this is not a decision based on morality.

1. Armed conflict is not an option for a civilised nation in the twenty-first century.

"Just because I can" is no justification for any actions except those of a bully.

And the only argument for war is just that: "Just because I can", because the point of war is to prove that one side's "Just because I can" is more powerful than the other side's "Just because I can".

2. Being dragged into a war, no matter how reluctantly, is an admission of failure.

Ethical behaviour means persuading the bully to admit that his actions cause collateral damage, and getting him to modify his actions to prevent the collateral damage.

Persuasion, education, philosophy, negotiation, argument, discussion - all the civilised arts of social discourse have proved useless, if the defending nation joins the aggressor and enters the war.

3. Experienced trainers know that training is more than just passing on motor skills.

If our men were teaching Iraqis to operate planes or machine-guns, there might be some point, but this exercise is surely about hearts and minds, for which our guys need to know their students' backgrounds and mind-sets, rather than just their physical capabilities.

Some day, perhaps, we may be able to insist on our governments putting their policies to a test of ethical quality, just as we do every day for medical research.