During his TV interview last night with Leigh Sales on the ABC 7.30 Report outgoing Chief of Army Lieutenant General David Morrison was asked “Can an ideology be defeated militarily?” He replied “No. I don’t think that there’s a military solution to anything. …” He added later “…throughout recorded time, there’s been – there’s never been a military solution to anything. …”
You can read his full reply in his second reply at the 7.30 Report transcript.
It left me a tad puzzled as to what General Morrison thought the British Empire, USA, France and Allies should have done when faced with aggression by Germany and then Japan in WWII ? Imagine yourself back in time to September 1939 and put yourself in the shoes of a farmer in Poland seeing a grey tank column approaching surrounded be determined looking armed guys in field grey and steel helmets – he strolls over and says “..look, we are just creating the society we want to live in…”. Good luck with that General.
Ameliorating an expression of ideology by force is not the same thing. Seen from here there is still a problem in Europe.
As a senior military officer put it to me in the context of Afghanistan, “It’s tribal”. And that can be taken somewhat universally to describe humans. A lot of coding tries to hide this, yet it boils down to the same thing. From family through religion, company, school, just about everything.
Pratchet put it well, Grimes etc., “tried and tested” first they have a fight and then talk.
However, if a fight is not possible, is it possible to resolve?
Tim, Good to see you following Warwick and putting forward your comment.