War is prehistoric politics, diplomacy is the only way forward

War is prehistoric politics and belongs to the past. It is a crude and foolish way for nations to deal with one another, it cannot produce lasting security. The conflict between the US and Iran will end only when both sides accept a permanent ceasefire and a peace agreement. Since an agreement has already been signed, common sense suggests that both sides should uphold it now, in the interests of their own people and the wider region.
Diplomacy is slower than war, but it is the only path that can bring a durable peace. Prehistoric people fought with stones, clubs and spears. Today some States still use tanks, drones, bombs and missiles. The weapons have changed. The prehistoric thinking has not. War is the law of the jungle. War can briefly look like a success. An army takes a town. A government falls. A leader declares victory. We see tanks moving forward and buildings burning. One side looks strong only to find itself weaker in time.
The Second World War holds a lesson. Nazi Germany and Japan under a military dictatorship had to be defeated. But lasting peace did not come from military victory. It came because countries rebuilt. Old enemies worked together, trade grew, new treaties were signed. It was diplomacy, not more war, that has helped keep the peace.
In Vietnam, the US had more bombs, planes and guns than its enemy. Yet it could not ultimately defeat the people. The Soviet Union found the same in Afghanistan. It had a huge army. After years of fighting, it left. Years later, the US and its allies went into Afghanistan. They drove out the Taliban. They spent many years trying to build a new country. Then they left. The Taliban came back. The war had cost many lives. It had not settled Afghanistan’s future.
War can win a fight, but it cannot make people agree with the winner. It cannot make them trust their enemy. The genocide in Gaza has not produced security for Israel. Palestinians and Israel’s enemies will not forget. Palestinians who have lost their homes will carry anger for generations. A child who sees people killed will grow up bitter. A people who feel beaten and shamed will fight again later. Ordinary people always pay the price. It is not leaders who lose their homes. It is not leaders who search for water, food or medicine. It is families. It is children. Homes are destroyed. Schools close. Hospitals are hit. Roads, power and water systems break down. People run from their homes carrying what they can. A government may go to war to look strong, but inevitably it ends up weaker. Its economy suffers, it loses friends and global support. It may try to crush an enemy but can make that enemy stronger. It may steal territory and then face years of attacks and unrest.
In the 21st century, we depend on each other. We trade food, oil, and goods. A war in one place can harm people globally. If ships cannot use a sea route, food and medicine may arrive late. If oil is hit, fuel prices rise. In the 21st century, a distant war can hurt the world. Of course every country has the right to protect its people and regain its stolen territory. But military defence should not normalise war.
Diplomacy takes time and patience. It means talks. It means listening. It means keeping lines open, even with people you do not trust. It means using peace-loving mediators like Oman, a country skilled in the art of diplomacy. It means finding a resolution that lets both sides live without more killing. War may make one country dominant for years. But a civilised, peaceful future depends on nations solving their problems without killing each other. The use of military violence belongs to a past age.

Karim Easterbrook is a Former Cambridge School Principal and Author