The enduring consequences of the First World War

World Defense Review ^ | October 25, 2005 | Mark Dubowitz

[SuzyQ2]

The struggle over Palestine, with contradictory promises made by Britain to both Jews and Arabs, fueled four Arab-Israeli wars, brought the US and Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear war during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, contributed to the use of oil and terrorism as political weapons, and was used as a pretext (amongst others) for Islamists dedicated to Israel's and the West's destruction.

[Carry_Okie]

From Genesis 17:
19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.

From Deuteronomy 12:
10 But when ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the Lord your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety;
11 Then there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the Lord:
12 And ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you.
13 Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest:
14 But in the place which the Lord shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.

The Temple Mount: twenty-three acres with insoluble claims between the children of Abraham, set up from the begging of civilization.

[RobbyS]

The destruction of the Ottoman Empire, like the destruction of the Hpasburg Empire, had the effect of turning loose all kinds of tribal forces.

[Siena Dreaming]

In the First World War, while the US had lost 114,000 men, the losses of Germany (2.037 million), Russia (1.8 million), France (1.4 million), Austria-Hungary (1.1 million), Bulgaria and Turkey (892,000), the UK (723,000) and Italy (578,000) were staggering in comparison.

The numbers are staggering. While we lost 500,000 in WWII, our European neighbors lost proportionately more in both WWI and WWII.

The number of men killed accounts for the nanny states across the ocean.

Canada also lost proportionately high numbers in WWI, presumably because they were tied to Britain at that time so engaged earlier than the US. Thus the nanny state up there as well.

[Publius6961]

What is truly amazing, and unknown to me until a few days ago, is this, about the 1918 influenza pandemic:

The flu was most deadly for people ages 20 to 40. This pattern of morbidity was unusual for influenza which is usually a killer of the elderly and young children. It infected 28% of all Americans (Tice). An estimated 675,000 Americans died of influenza during the pandemic, ten times as many as in the world war. Of the U.S. soldiers who died in Europe, half of them fell to the influenza virus and not to the enemy (Deseret News).

[familyop]

Ping to a post on the "Arab-Israeli wars" and preceding history (British Mandate and other events).

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

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[liberallarry]

WWI was a truly terrible event...but it was not unique. All of human history follows the same pattern.

[The_Reader_David]

Some time I hope to have the leisure to read the brilliantly titled "A Peace to End All Peace," which documents the post WW I break-up of the Ottoman Empire into League of Nations mandates.

[investigateworld]

If one reads the Treaty of Versailles, there is so much unneeded verbiage, prolly slipped in by the French, which could have laid the seeds for Hitler and company amongst the German people. And the reparations were staggering, and the French having tasted victory for the first time in a hundred years, were the main beneficiaries.

[Wiseghy]

"...accounts for the nanny states across the ocean"


What's the socialist state connection to heavy war losses? I'm curious.

[Siena Dreaming]

The heavy casualties of men leave women and children defenseless and, thus, dependent on the state.

[Leatherneck_MT]

That is an EXCELLENT book. Glad to see someone else has read it.

[rahbert]

>Japan emboldened by its victory in WWI against Russia

Japan was an Allied Power in WWI, on the same side as
Russia. The author must be referring to the Russo-Japanese
conflict in '04-'05.

[The_Reader_David]

Alas I've not. My post expressed the hope of having leisure to read it some time soon. A hope heightened now by your enthusiastic recommendation.