War, in the sense one major power can invade another country is done.  Finished.  We’ve seen it, haven’t realized it.   Recent examples are Vietnam, Afghanistan times 2, and Iraq.  In the sense that one country can invade another and force enduring regime and political changes the way Germany and Japan were conquered during WWII is done.

Any one of the three major powers, the US, Russia or China, could invade a smaller country and take it over.  The “war” against Iraq was a joke – the only reason it wasn’t a walk-in is that Rumsfeld tied both hands behind the military’s back.  Sort of a game for him, he wanted to see how few people he could use.  And so in a relatively short time it was “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED”.

The US HAD taken over the country, and controlled the official political scene.  Installed a ‘government’ and tried to run the country.  However, all the US controlled was where they had boots on the ground, and the rest of the country was run by various religious and tribal leaders, who continued resisting and at no point could the US claim to have conquered Iraq.

The same is true of the Russians in Afghanistan.  The US in Afghanistan.  The US in Vietnam.  The US supplied the Afghan resistance against the Russians, China and Russia underwrote the Vietnamese resistance against America, and about everyone is supplying the Afghans against the US.

In this day and age, with improvements in transportation, with various ‘covers’ and proxies, any country’s resistance can be supplied indefinitely by another country and the threat of the conflict turning nuclear prevents any effective interventions.

War, as such, is over.  Limited occupations with unlimited insurgencies are the rule of the day.

So what’s the purpose of “war”?  To turn an enemy into an ally.  How best to do that.  Use the idea of war, use the purpose of war, to make it in a nations best interests to go along with the superpower.  Win the hearts and minds of the population.  Establish or increase trade, educational exchanges, cultural understanding and find a way to truly give meaning to “winning hearts and minds”.

Not slaughtering them.  That isn’t working, and is the last, most expensive way of trying to resolve differences.  It appeals to the adolescent mind, which isn’t mature enough to know other ways to achieve aims, and the US is, unfortunately, run by the majority of people, who haven’t developed past a 12 year olds maturity.  Yet.  \Born of a violent revolution, we have no philosophical framework which which respects restraint.  We give lipservice to Christianity, but do not even know what Christ preached.   We would rather bomb than educate.

It’s too bad.  We could have huge industries spreading good.

As for the “Oh yeah, what are you going to do when the badguys attack you?”  In the first place, our imperialist practices have provoked those, and in the second if a country sees it is in it’s best interests to stay friendly that’s settled.

And, there’s no chance this will be understood by adolescents.