Battlestar Galactica (Season 3, Episode 7 "Hero") delves into this military doctrine, and shows that not all ends well when we assume that military primacy (both in capacity and chronology) will win out.
General Adama was sent to 'spy' on the Cylons at the armistice line. Sending over a stealth fighter to 'scout' out the region in a black-ops, he was ordered to find out what the Cylons may or may not be up to. As fate, and good tv drama would have it, the humans are discovered. In an effort to cover their backs the scout ship is ordered destroyed and they go home. Three years later, General Adama realises that this small act of PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKE was in fact the point which began the war, or so we are lead to believe. As in all of life, such cause and effect is too complicated to truly understand. Perhaps the Cylons were already planning an attack and it was all coincidence. Perhaps the military brass intended for it to cause a war they hoped would allow them to destroy the Cylons once and for all.
If only George W. Bush and John W. Howard were as insightful as G. Adama, and willing to admit their mistakes privately and publicly. If the humility shown by this fictitious military character was displayed in even half a measure by our own political leaders we may have some hope.
We must seriously question, as has been done since before the war in Iraq, the policy of PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKES. In the so-called war on terror, we are seeing terror fomenting where it never existed in the first place. If we count the number of deaths - military and civilian - both before and after the invasion by American and other forces, have the deaths that occurred under Saddam Hussein been overcome by the mayhem inflicted by our military machines? When do our political and military leaders say, "enough is enough, time to wrap it up". By placing ourselves in Iraq we have completely destabilized a country that was at least held together in some order. Evil may have prevailed under Saddam Hussein. Is the Liberation and Justice the coalition of the willing brought with them worth it?
Had George W. Bush, et al, said, "In response to the heinous crime, that was 9/11, America and it's allies will commit 1 trillion dollars to the eradication of poverty throughout the world", what would be the global situation today? Jaws would have dropped. Disbelief would have reigned. But as the reality of poverty alleviation rained down upon the stricken, disbelief would have turned to amazement, and amazement into hope, and hope into a movement of peace like the world has never seen before.
9/11 presented the world with an opportunity for peace. It looks as thought that opportunity has slipped through our collective hands and the machinations of war once again control our lives and motivations.
