The Last War

For the first part of Humankind’s existence, war was a simple matter: we want what you have, be it territory, goods (luxuries or basics), or productivity (that is, we win the war and now your people are our slaves). But as in most things Human, war evolved and so the desired thing was the other side’s mind. In What are we fighting for?, Steven Denbeste posits that this week’s events mark the opening bell of the last stage of the last war, a war which began in the Renaissance, a war between the forces of freedom and authoritarianism. The face of the side opposed to freedom has morphed over time, from Monarchy to Slavery to naked Authoritarianism and now what seems to be the last opponent, Theocracy. Freedom, regardless of the opponent, has never lost and though the road will be long and hard (the Cold War lasted 43 years, after all) Freedom will win again.

Denbeste makes some important points in this essay and I highly recommend you read it for yourself. He previously published several related essays, which I recommend as well: There is no such thing as a “civilian”, The mark of a fanatic, and Theory and Practice of Terrorism.