[D66] Sleepwalking into a big war

[J.N.]

http://mondediplo.com/2016/09/02war

West fearful as it loses military advantage
Sleepwalking into a big war

The major powers are planning for war and claim that’s the best way to
defend against war. Will this mutual hawkishness lead to armed conflict?
by Michael T Klare

Le Monde diplomatique
Sleepwalking into a big war
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As the US presidential race approaches its climax and European officials
ponder the implications of the UK’s Brexit vote, public discussion of
security affairs is largely confined to strategies for combating
international terrorism. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are
trying to persuade voters of their superior qualifications to lead this
battle, while European leaders scramble to bolster their countries’
defences against homegrown extremists. But though talk of terrorism
fills the news media and the political space, it is secondary in the
conversations of generals, admirals and defence ministers: it’s not
low-level conflict that commands their attention but rather what they
call ‘big wars’ — large-scale, high-level conflict with great-power
adversaries like Russia and China. Such major conflicts, long considered
most unlikely, are now deemed ‘plausible’ by western military
strategists, who claim that urgent steps are needed to deter and, if
necessary, prevail in such engagements.

This development, overlooked by the media, has serious consequences,
starting with heightened tension between Russia and the West, each
eyeing the other in the expectation of a confrontation. More worrying is
the fact that many politicians believe that war is not only possible,
but may break out at any moment — a view that historically has tended to
precipitate military responses where diplomatic solutions might have
been possible.

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