The Cycle of Violence: how do we stop it?

[an anarchist]

Iraqi militia group injures American troops today. The US will surely respond with a drone strike or something.

Israel detonated a bomb in Iran. Iran vows to attack Israel in return. Israel vows retaliation to any attack.

Each side responds with an attack. The response to the response is another attack. This goes on indefinitely.

How do we stop this? Any bright ideas?

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

Iraqi militia group injures American troops today. The US will surely respond with a drone strike or something.

Israel detonated a bomb in Iran. Iran vows to attack Israel in return. Israel vows retaliation to any attack.

Each side responds with an attack. The response to the response is another attack. This goes on indefinitely.

How do we stop this? Any bright ideas?

Well, who is that we and what about them? The problem is there is no overall we as such. So to get to that we, you have to in effect create the conditions for a compromise, but that requires that the different them in play are willing to do so.

 

[Wandering Monk]

Iraqi militia group injures American troops today. The US will surely respond with a drone strike or something.

Israel detonated a bomb in Iran. Iran vows to attack Israel in return. Israel vows retaliation to any attack.

Each side responds with an attack. The response to the response is another attack. This goes on indefinitely.

How do we stop this? Any bright ideas?

I don't think any of the nations involved have hit bottom yet. It will only stop when they exhaust themselves and they finally tire of the death and destruction. Given the history of the Middle East, that is still a long way off.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

How do we stop this? Any bright ideas?

Not here.

 

[Stevicus]

Iraqi militia group injures American troops today. The US will surely respond with a drone strike or something.

Israel detonated a bomb in Iran. Iran vows to attack Israel in return. Israel vows retaliation to any attack.

Each side responds with an attack. The response to the response is another attack. This goes on indefinitely.

How do we stop this? Any bright ideas?

Most human violence seems rooted in an ongoing fight between haves and have nots, at least in one form or another. Unless there's a solution for that, then I don't think it will stop.

 

[sun rise]

We can look at intractable long running conflicts around the world for what has worked. Of course the Middle East is much worse but the path has been walked by others.

I think this is an essential starting point: Start talking and keep talking no matter what (and don't assassinate ones at the table). Then find something that everyone can agree on no matter how small. And above all, cultivate patience.

 

[Heyo]

Iraqi militia group injures American troops today. The US will surely respond with a drone strike or something.

Israel detonated a bomb in Iran. Iran vows to attack Israel in return. Israel vows retaliation to any attack.

Each side responds with an attack. The response to the response is another attack. This goes on indefinitely.

How do we stop this? Any bright ideas?

Why should we stop it against their will? Violence against each other is part of their belief system and their culture. Stopping them would be imposing our values on them, cultural imperialism.

 

[Jimmy]

Find God

 

[amorphous_constellation]

I don't understand enough about the middle-east to understand what it is they want. I've wondered before, if the whole region should have a federal system. It works well enough for america, so shouldn't it work there. Then all the current nations would become states in one big country.

But you might argue that too many different people there hate each other, for a federal system to work. Is that true? So then maybe their federal system would need a really solid doctrine of neutral justice, with leaders that really believe in it. Kind of like we have here in the u.s.

 

[Revoltingest]

Find God

He's the one in whose name Israelis
commit apartheid & genocide.

 

[Jimmy]

He's the one in whose name Israelis
commit apartheid & genocide.

If that’s the case, they got the wrong god.

 

[The Hammer]

If that’s the case, they got the wrong god.

Ah yes. "No true Scotsman"

 

[Heyo]

If that’s the case, they got the wrong god.

Have you read the Bible?

 

[an anarchist]

Why should we stop it against their will? Violence against each other is part of their belief system and their culture. Stopping them would be imposing our values on them, cultural imperialism.

I should have clarified.

"We" as in humanity as a whole, as a collective species.

Perhaps the cycle of violence is prevalent in all societies.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

I should have clarified.

"We" as in humanity as a whole, as a collective species.

Perhaps the cycle of violence is prevalent in all societies.

We are not a group, collective or herd species as such. Biological competition also happens among humans as we are individuals who form limited groups, but still compete for power, resources and mates.

 

[Heyo]

I should have clarified.

"We" as in humanity as a whole, as a collective species.

Perhaps the cycle of violence is prevalent in all societies.

Retaliation is an instinct, but in most, or at least many, societies, we have learned to suppress that instinct in favour of a judicial system.
You have just chosen a bad example of two societies who are both incapable to handle that urge.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

@an anarchist

How do we stop the cycle of violence? For starters, we stop blaming the violence on a cycle, and hold humans responsible. This means digging into why the violence is happening, and that can be irritatingly difficult (which is why many opt for the lazy view that all violence is the same).

For example, let's say there are two kids fighting on the playground. It is wrong to summarily dismiss the underlying reasons, tell them both that they are bad, and send both home. It is imperative to determine if one was the aggressor and the other a victim. In the case of such bullying, the way you stop the violence is to protect the victim.

 

[Yerda]

Have we tried more violence?

 

[Stevicus]

Have we tried more violence?

Yeah, but that didn't work either.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Iraqi militia group injures American troops today. The US will surely respond with a drone strike or something.

Israel detonated a bomb in Iran. Iran vows to attack Israel in return. Israel vows retaliation to any attack.

Each side responds with an attack. The response to the response is another attack. This goes on indefinitely.

How do we stop this? Any bright ideas?

Yes. Deliver the knock out punch.