Young people beware: war is far closer than we think

Our generation, like those of the past, may be doomed to follow in the footsteps of Sisyphus. ‘The War to end all Wars’ arrived at it’s official conclusion no more than 100 years ago, yet humanity has managed to deface the 20th century with more brutality and death than ever thought possible. More recently however, post-Generation-X have been tucked safely away from those conflicts that have shattered nations and peoples across the Earth. Authoritarianism, for most students, has its place – inscribed in the history books, and recreated on occasion for fictional or educational purposes. We enjoy a safe distance from which we can ponder. In reality, though, the world is a place with more potential for conflict than we can conceive. 

One might suggest we have our post-war institutions to thank for this tranquility. Namely, the UN, NATO, and the EU, which have managed to tame the well-intentioned nations we inhabit into mutual submission. A multitude of factors have prevented further war in Europe, but could it be said that we are finally standing on the crux of a peaceful age? Francis Fukuyama made the case that global liberal democracy will eventually prevail above all other systems, signalling the ‘End of History’ – and while it is discouraging to challenge such optimism, it is also necessary.

We are, year by year, witnessing the cracks form through those political institutions which were designed to keep us afloat

Grand political narratives such as these are often more corruptive than constructive. War has plagued the history of all civilizations, and the brief respite that Europe has enjoyed from large-scale hot war since the defeat of Nazism is unlikely to last until the passing of our generation. We are, year by year, witnessing the cracks form through those political institutions which were designed to keep us afloat – and sinking may soon commence.

The plight of Europeans was initiated by absence of reform within the EU, and has spread from the centre outwards like a rot. The swift integration rapidly imposed upon them is itself an ideology that may bring down the ship, and has provided the opportunity for populism to tighten its grip. Public support for The Rassemblement National, the Five Star Movement, the AfD and the Sweden Democrats illustrates the widespread desperation of a populist sentiment – the only valve left to vent the growing frustration at the system.

‘Western democracy’… is a rather modern project that still exists in its experimental stages

We have sketched our cherished ‘Western democracy’ as the worldwide morally just form of governance, but to debate that fact is neither here nor there. It is a rather modern project that still exists in its experimental stages, scarcely present pre-20th century, and by no means should its future success correlate to its ethics. The CPC had locked its foothold into now state-capitalist China many decades ago, yet despite expressing violent streaks of authoritarianism, there is no good reason to assume widespread desire for change is present publicly within its borders.

Similarly, it was a brash mistake of Western media to extrapolate the voices of a tiny minority of protesters during the Arab Spring, projecting the uprising as the inevitable revolution that would bring the Middle East to its liberal democratic senses. The Arab Winter that ensued initiated kick-back massacres and further spread of Islamism, completely contrary to those predictions that some described as incontrovertible. Such naivety illustrates our lack of empathy towards the power balances in distant culture. While we assume our mode of life will eventually dominate the globe, this prospect is left wanting. The clash of ideas will remain a factor pulling us into war in the 21st century, alongside the growing fanaticism with political ‘strongmen’.

Students, who make an increasing portion of each incoming generation, will soon be called upon to shape domestic and foreign policy

Students, who make an increasing portion of each incoming generation, will soon be called upon to shape domestic and foreign policy, or even prepare for inescapable conflict again. Our cosy seclusion is unlikely to sustain. We must strive to cool bad-blood with international compromise, cultural appreciation, and resist imposing any overreaching ideologies or objectives that will cause further carnage elsewhere in the world – because God knows there’s been enough of that.