Observations

As we conclude this topic, it may be worth looking back, to see if there are any lessons that may be learned from the long history of destructive warfare. Is mankind somehow fatally flawed, or is there a way out of the trap?

One inescapable conclusion is that weapons have become more deadly and more widespread with each generation. There is no restraining technology. The talk of nuclear holocaust has diminished, but not the threat.

For most people living today, the atom bomb was dropped before they were even born. Yet the missiles are all still there, and increased tension between Russia and America has produced veiled threats of using tactical nukes.

Africa is a full-blown mess, with automatic weapons and high capacity magazines in the hands of children, and little helpful guidance from adults. Democracy itself is being challenged, with the issue still in doubt.
Continuing nuclear standoff, 2020s

  Continuing Nuclear Threat
America is the only nation to have used an atomic bomb in war. The decision to use the weapon was based on a calculation that it would actually shorten the war, and reduce combat deaths. This may be true, but even the scientists who developed the bomb were worried that its actual use might set mankind on a one-way road to extinction. Since then, more powerful thermo-nuclear bombs have replaced simple implosion devices. Nine countries now possess nuclear capability, with a total inventory exceeding 10,000 warheads.

America's original inward focus, 1800s map

  Avoiding 'Foreign Entanglements'
The map above shows American military deployments prior to the First World War. This does not include the Civil War or Indian Wars, which were internal. Throughout this century-long period, America remained blissfully uninvolved in European wars.  Instead, the young country was focused on securing the southern border, and protecting its all-important shipping. Rampant piracy was a constant problem in the Caribbean and Mediterranean. There were only two external wars. The first was against a relatively weak Mexico, allowing America to seize Texas, California, and the rest of the Southwest (see map). The other removed Spanish control from nearby Cuba, and (looking towards the future) gave America a key naval base in the far Pacific.


American humiliation in Vietnam, 1965-1975

  Big Success Doesn't Last
America got a big boost from its last-minute entry into World War I, when it provided the fresh energy needed to force German surrender. World War Two was a tougher slog, but America once again pushed forward to victory, this time against both Japan and Germany at the same time. Heady with success, the unbeatable Yanks then decided to turn their might against a poorly understood threat from communists in Asia, confident of continued success. Who could stand against the overwhelming military power of America? As it turned out, the luck began to run out in Korea, as China threw huge armies against the surprised GIs. America next tried to hold the line in Vietnam, but couldn't win against determined guerillas, despite ten years of persistent effort.


America pulls back, 1980s

  US Stands Back
America's failure to push communists out of either Korea or Vietnam proved to be a deeply disillusioning experience. America didn't lose wars. But now it seemingly couldn't win one, either. Despite America's secret (and perhaps excessive) bombing of communist supply routes in Laos during the Vietnam War, somehow victory didn't follow. The protest against the war by college student was thrust in America's face, every night, on the evening news. Following America's humiliating withdrawal from Vietnam, the country stepped back from direct intervention. Instead, America deployed aviation assets, and supplied anti-communist guerillas. At the same time, it supported anti-communist (but also anti-democratic) military coups all over Central and South America.


Muslim terrorism, 9/11 attack, 2000s map

  Muslim Threat Re-emerges
The defining event of the new millennium is the 9/11 terror attack on New York, in 2001. The destruction was bad enough, but worse yet was the fact it had happened on American soil. This was new. Nothing comparable had happened since the War of 1812. All of America rose in mighty, righteous anger, but it was unclear where punishment should be exacted. Lashing out, America struck first at Iraq, and then Afghanistan, in an attempt to wipe out any sanctuary for terrorists.  Neither effort was very successful. Iraq has yet to emerge from the debris, while the 13-year American war in Afghanistan proved a costly failure.  Meanwhile, Bosnia and much of Africa, was descending into chaos, while the Soviets had their own troubles in Chechnya.


Post-WW2 battlegrounds, 1950-2020 map

  Battleground Africa
The map above provides little grounds for optimism. The US alone produces 13 million guns a year, triple the amount 25 years ago. In America, mass shootings have become routine. The Russians seem permanently lodged in Ukraine, while all of Africa is lit up with conflict. Weapons are flooding in everywhere, including the new breed of robotically-controlled killer drones. Some are provided by war profiteers, others by governments sponsoring remote rebels and terrorists. There are now 100 million Russian-style assault rifles floating around in the world (photo above), with more being produced each year, and few ever retired from service. Someone once said, referring to Africa, that when you give a boy a gun, within a week he thinks he's a god.