What the South should really learn from the two world wars

Countries in part of the Northern Hemisphere recently celebrated a truly remarkable milestone earlier this month- the absence of war in a cool uninterrupted seven whole decades.  It is really difficult to visualize the calm, highly organized and prosperous Western Europe we know today as war ravaged and distressed. But that was the scene just 70 odd years ago in the course of the second war that claimed the lives of an estimated 50-80 million people.  A previous war (the first war world of 1914 to 1918) had caused the death of an estimated 17 million people.

Unfortunately, the same success cannot be said of Southern countries.  This region continues to struggle under the weight of sectarian, tribal and civil strife in many fronts across Asia, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. New protracted conflicts continue to emerge when dust has barely settled on old ones. The outcome has been an unprecedented humanitarian crisis with many civilian deaths and millions of people displaced.

Southern countries have been fixated with their Northern counterparts for probably centuries now.  As a matter of fact, most of the South measures it achievements on its ability to adopt to Western Civilization models to a tee-including the allures of capitalism, globalization, democracy and the like. Those who defy this model are often considered pariah states. But for all their intrigues with the North, the South has been incapable and/or unwilling to commit to cessation of internal hostilities like their counterparts did 70 years ago.

Generally speaking, the North lacks a favorable environment linked to conflicts in the South. The region is largely culturally and ethnically homogenous, incredibly wealthy and therefore able to provide safety nets to their populations who fall on hard times.

But the North did not suddenly cease craving for wars after emerging scared from the two conflicts. To this day it appears that the region still holds a romanticized notion of war -what with its numerous foreign invasions of sovereign states to change regimes or what not.  But they ultimately grew smarter.  Never again would they allow large scale bloodshed on their soils. Never again would they invade neigbouring countries. The logic was simple-rebuild their States to spar growth and ensure prosperity for all. They realized this was not feasible if they were in a spate of perpetual   conflict.

It would be naïve to suggest that Northern countries are utopias. They too have social ills associated with the South including, racial and religious tension, crime and many more. The much touted capitalist system also bleeds greed, inequality and creates discontent among its populations. But the disgruntled often show their displeasure through demonstrations, a few burnt tyres, broken windows and the like. Widespread killings on targeted groups like you see in the South are unheard of. 

As much as most in the South like to ridicule the West for their skewed democracies, double standards, advancing causes that are not sustainable to human development and the environment, no one can fault their ability to guard their countries from conflict. On matters relating to internal cohesion, the North has triumphed, with flying colours. This is the trend the South should be striving to adopt from the North. There is no moral reason why we should not silence our guns like the North did just over seven decades ago.