Inspired by the anti-Vietnam War protest of the late 1960s, Motown Records label released the number-one hit song sung by Edwin Starr. The song, one of the most popular of the counter-culture era, took a stance against armed conflicts between nations with its defiant lyrics: “War, I despise ‘cause it means destruction of innocent lives. War means tears to thousands of mothers’ eyes when their sons go off to fight and lose their lives. War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing!”

Our own, ‘national hero-in-waiting Bob Marley made an epic recording, War. Based on a 1963 speech by Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I to the United Nations General Assembly, the lyrics, although holding out hope for resolution of human injustices that give rise to armed conflicts, seem to at the same time uphold the necessity and inevitability of war: “Until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned, everywhere is war. Until there no longer is first-class and second-class citizens of any nation. Until the colour of a man’s skin is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes, me say war. Until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race, dis a war.”

The age-old debate remains unsettled with two contending viewpoints. One philosophical perspective, realism, argues that armed conflicts — embedded in human nature and survival instincts surrounding competition for resources, power, and dominance — are unavoidable. Another perspective, associated with idealist philosophy, argues that peaceful coexistence is not only desirable but achievable through diplomacy, international cooperation, and mutual respect for each other’s justifiable claim to the finite resources of the Earth.

In the age of increasing super power military reach and hegemony, the gulf between desire for peace and the ability to attain it has widened even as the geopolitical nature of conflicts have changed. The realist’s perspective views war as an unavoidable part of international relations involving issues such as self-defence, protecting sovereignty of allies, trade, and political philosophy. In the absence of a supreme authority it is each to his own view.

It is for this reason that the United Nations was established on October 24, 1945 with the focus on maintaining international peace and security and solving global conflicts through mutual cooperation. With increasing conflicts occurring around the world, and the potential for nuclear war looming, one may question the effectiveness of the UN in preventing or ending such conflicts. The current war being waged against Iran by America and its close ally in the Middle East, Israel, which is also a nuclear power, is a case in point.

The UN secretary general convened an emergency meeting of the Security Council to address the costly and widening conflict. Emerging from the meeting was the usual platitudinous statement admonishing the parties to exercise restraint and return to diplomacy. The United States — being one of the permanent members of the Security Council — enjoys significant power, including the ability to veto resolutions passed by the body. And the war wages on.

In the Bible, there are several accounts of God not only justifying but entering the battle on the side of His chosen people. One prominent example is the conquest of Canaan by the Israelites as described in the Old Testament book of Joshua. Chapter 10 gives an account of God, in response to a prayer by Joshua, causing the sun to stand still to prolong daylight for the Israelites to fight and gain victory against the Amorites. It’s hard, even for pacifists, to argue that war under all circumstances is unjustifiable.

America, it may be said, was born out of war, the American Revolutionary War, which won independence from British rule. The American Civil War of 1861-1865, which was primarily over issues of slavery and State’s rights is also generally viewed as justifiable. World War II may also be seen in this light.

America’s rise to superpower status and world dominance has, however, not been without involvement in wars of choice considered to be unjustifiable based on questionable motives, faulty intelligence, cost in human lives and material assets, and duration. Examples include the wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Will the war against Iran, which had a spectacular first strike resulting in the deaths of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the top political and military leaders prove to be one such? Time will tell.

With the irascible Donald Trump at the helm of the world’s only remaining superpower, and with him changing his country’s Department of Defence to the Department of War, the prospect for world peace, including here in the Caribbean, appears to be a fleeting ideal. We are left to ponder the wise words of Martin Luther King Jr: “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.” That makes war inevitable.

Dr Henley Morgan is founder and executive chairman of the Trench Town-based social enterprise Agency for Inner-city Renewal (AIR) and author of My Trench Town Journey – Lessons in Social Entrepreneurship and Community Transformation for Policy Makers, Development Leaders, and Practitioners available at amazon.com. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or hwardmorgan+articles@gmail.com.