europeansantiwar

Why Are the Europeans So Anti-
War?

One of the most frustrating aspects of
our War on Terror has been the
reluctance of our major European
allies, with the exception of Britain, to
fight beside us. Is it pure cowardice,
as some pundits say? Is it that they
don’t perceive the threat? The answer
is probably neither of the above.

To understand more clearly, we need
to take a look at history. Less than a
century ago, Europe plunged itself into
World War I. Each nation involved
believed God was on its side. All,
without exception, expected a short,
relatively pain-free conflict. It didn’t
turn out that way.

The British Empire lost 900,000,000
tons of shipping in the conflict. Try to
wrap your mind around that figure: 900
million tons. That’s the equivalent of
having virtually every car or truck in
the United States today destroyed over
a four year period. Would that affect
our economy? Would it affect our
personal well-being? It sure would
mine!

France, Germany, and Russia each
experienced casualty rates of more
than 75%. That meant that three in
four of the young men they sent to war
came back either dead, wounded, or
diseased. Serbia suffered a 90%
rate.

These were not the small, all-volunteer
forces of today. They were mass,
conscript armies. Everyone who could
carry a weapon had to serve.
Germany has only recently reached its
pre-World War I population.

If three in four of the young people we
sent to Iraq and Afghanistan came
back dead, wounded, or diseased,
would that affect us as a nation?
Would it affect us, our parents, aunts,
uncles, and family members? I have a
feeling it would.

This is not to say that keeping Iran
from getting the bomb shouldn’t be a
policy goal. It may be worth war, given
Iran’s history of supporting terror.
Many doubt another conflict would be
remotely as costly as World War I.

The fact is we don’t know how costly it
would be. Few thought we’d still be
fighting in Iraq either, three years after
toppling Saddam Hussein. Any such
decision needs to be made with the
utmost clarity.

As George Santayana said, “Those
who forget history are condemned to
repeat it.”

John Cunyus
Copyright 2007, John G. Cunyus
All Rights Reserved.