Comment by strictnein
2 days ago
Are you under the impression that humanity could reach a state where there is never another major war?
I don't know how one would reach that conclusion, least of all a Major at the nation's leading military educational institute. Nothing "hell-bent" about it.
People were starting to think that way at the "end of history" period between the Cold War and 9/11. At that time the major powers were not involved in wars, and it was believed that regional ones could be "solved" like Yugoslavia.
9/11 was a huge success for Bin Laden's goal of restarting a forever war, though.
> People were starting to think that way at the "end of history" period between the Cold War and 9/11.
And between WW1 and WW2. And just before WW1, during the Belle Époque. And probably before that, too.
Yes, I am. That requires a total reassesment of who the real enemy is, though (hint: psychopaths at power).
How do you reliably prevent a clever psychopath who's set their mind to it from gaining power?
That is the question worth focusing all the available energy and enthusiasm that is always somewhere else, but never at the humankind's worst problem.
I think the answer could arise from a widely growing understanding of
a) the methods of mass manipulation. Without manipulation, or outright mass hypnosis, no dictator is possible;
b) the whole structure of power, and the fact that there are numerous barriers to filter out all non-psychopaths along the way to the top, with multiple checkpoints where an ever increasing degree of corruption and depravity must be demonstrated to the controllers.
But even a) alone should be sufficient.
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