Once again, we observe “Armistice day/Remembrance Day/Memorial Day” globally to commemorate the end of the first World War. It was dubbed the “war to end all wars”.

Once again, we will feel good with platitudes because social media requires it to post notes saying, “Thank you for your service ” on Remembrance Day. However, a moment of gratitude is essential for those who paid the Supreme sacrifice and defeated terrorist separatism in Sri Lanka.  People conveniently forget them.

World War I, was essentially European war fought by so called “civilised Christian” nations. and the Ottomans; a war which killed millions of soldiers, and civilians and caused immense suffering.

Nothing has changed in humans … nothing. nothing. Another major war in Europe, a humanitarian crisis of genocidal proportions in the Holy-land, the centre for Abrahamic religions, and at least three other cruel wars in the middle east, Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. One of them is a civil war which has now cost over 234,000 civilian lives. A family dynastic dictatorship in Syria is fighting disparate forces with many warring factions being backed by many major actors. In 2016 Assad regime backed by Iran and Russia bombed Halab/Aleppo and killed thousands of civilians.  Not a word was said. Going back before that, in 2003 Russia flattened Grozny in Chechnya and UN called it the most bombed city in the world. In Yemen, a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia has cost over 150,000 civilian lives.  In Sudan two belligerent Generals have been waging a war in and around Khartoum that had caused thousands of civilian casualties. Ukraine seems to be the only place that the Western media cared about until the new tragedy.

Yes, in 1918, mighty powers claimed war would end.

But humans knew better, didn’t they? War crimes? War crimes? From Vietnam to now that is also a super feature of wars that never end, but it makes some super rich too. But one powerful nation is in deep denial when it comes to introspection and accountability for war crimes, be it in Vietnam, Laos or Iraq. Any mention of it, and a person is accused of being unpatriotic.

So, I guess it’s the way of the world. Even freedom of speech in the US, is now under attack if someone dares question civilian casualties in Gaza. Until the next war and dead babies, children, mothers and grandparents at the hands of non-state actors/terrorists and at the hands of “civilized” nation states.Nothing has changed in humans … nothing. nothing. Until the next Armistice Day, how many more wars will we see? How many civilians will die? How many purveyors of death will become billionaires?

Mano Ratwatte