Episode 4: The Woes of War
"We are closer to nuclear war than we have ever been, and we're not acting that way. We're ignoring this problem to a very dangerous degree. " - Dr. Ira Helfand, Nobel laureate.
The new nuclear arms race is expected to be much worse than the Cold War race that ended in the 1980s. This time around, there are three players: Russia, the U.S., and China. This is complicated by the fact that the last remaining agreement to keep nuclear weapons in check expires in February, 2026. That means there will be no limits on nuclear expansion.
However, as scary as the threat of nuclear war is, as a thought – the reality of real, actual war, happening all over the globe? Well, that’s not a hypothetical. There are real people dying, horrible, violent, and preventable, deaths... because of war.
Wars are just as common now as they have ever been. In fact – as far as the U.S. is concerned – American troops have been involved in some form of military intervention abroad, nonstop, since World War 2.
In our 249-year history as a nation, we have been involved in nearly 400 military interventions around the world. Historians estimate that we have only experienced about 15 or 20 years of total peace during the last two and a half centuries.
Of course, war is not a uniquely American phenomenon. Nearly two billion human beings have been killed because of war since the dawn of civilization, either directly through violence, or indirectly through infection or starvation.
Over the past 3,400 years, humans have been entirely at peace for less than three centuries. That’s just 8 percent of recorded history.
And war is big business.
Credits:
War intro:
* Israel Hamas War LIVE: Israeli Strike on Al-Aqsa Hospital in Gaza Strip Ignites Deadly Fire (Firstpost) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZDV2amtYd4 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZDV2amtYd4]
* Sounds of fighting continue near Israel-Gaza border amid blackouts (NBC News) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pas-v8IXrf4 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pas-v8IXrf4]
* Dramatic Footage Shows Gaza Under Attack And Missiles Targeting Israel (insider news) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQQ8X97EYu0 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQQ8X97EYu0]
* You're On The Ukrainian Frontline | Ukraine War | Bakhmut Battle Ambience (Ambient Escapade) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS9Q-EMa7sg [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS9Q-EMa7sg]
* Dramatic battle video shows Ukrainian raid on Russian trenches near Bakhmut (NBC News) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLc4bttp18g [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLc4bttp18g]
* Trench warfare. First Person Shooter. 🇺🇦 Azov Brigade storm Russian trenches. Serebryansky Forest (United 24) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXU17tOxY2c [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXU17tOxY2c]
* 20 Days in Mariupol (full documentary) | Academy Award® Winner | FRONTLINE + @AssociatedPress [https://www.youtube.com/@AssociatedPress] (Frontlien) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvAyykRvPBo [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvAyykRvPBo]
* Surrounded by the Russians. 🇺🇦Paratroopers & United24 Journalists under 🇷🇺Assault. Kayfariki & BSDG(UNited24( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgJFPJ64aR [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgJFPJ64aR0]
Other sounds and audio clips:
* 2024 Doomsday Clock Announcement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p67zvLaUFs
* David Hoffman, Washington Post: Putin, Xi, and Nukes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbQd8yGubzE
* 2024 World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates
* Dwight Eisenhower's "military industrial complex" speech; The National Archives: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg-jvHynP9Y
* Making a Killing: The Business of War Profiteering; The Intercepted podcast. https://theintercept.com/2021/10/27/intercepted-andrew-cockburn-war-profiteering/
* Is human evolution over? Prof. Steve Jones, Gresham College. https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/human-evolution-over
* The US Hand in Costa Rica; Under the Shadow episode 11. https://therealnews.com/the-us-hand-in-costa-rica-under-the-shadow-episode-11
* ChatGPT response to the prompt: "Is there a similar psychological effect that one might experience in regular, day-to-day life, that is analogous to how one might feel living in a society that has been demilitarized?”
* At least 9 dead after pagers explode across Lebanon; ABC News. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf-78ziMAvM
