Photo: Facebook

By Guillermo Alvarado

Almost a quarter of the way through the 21st century, it is clear that a large part of humanity continues to favor war as a method of resolving differences with their fellow human beings or imposing their economic and geopolitical conditions for their own benefit.

As early as the first half of the last century, the controversial Hungarian-born British writer Arthur Koestler observed that 'the most persistent sound that echoes through human history is the beating of the drums of war'.

The self-proclaimed superior species is, on the contrary, the only one on the planet that plans and carries out the constant and massive elimination of part of its own members, not out of hunger or survival instinct, but for flimsy reasons such as ambition and selfishness.

In fact, the technology to kill is developing faster than the technology to save lives, and a recent example of this is the partnership between Japan, Italy and the UK to produce the most advanced and lethal fighter aircraft.

It is paradoxical that Japan, the victim of the only atomic bombing in history, is now in the midst of an arms race.

It would be interesting to hear the views of Nihon Hidankyo, the organization of survivors of the nuclear inferno unleashed on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize a few days ago.

The truth is that the Asian country has gradually abandoned the pacifist policy enshrined in its 1947 constitution, whereby it voluntarily renounces the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes.

A decisive step was taken in 2023, when Tokyo approved a substantial increase in the defense budget and increased purchases of missiles and other equipment from the United States.

Now a project has been formalized to develop a fighter jet capable of outfighting China's Chengdu J-20 in the event of a war in the Taiwan Strait or heightened tensions with North Korea.

Japanese, Italian and British companies will be involved in the development of this aircraft, the prototype of which was recently unveiled and which, as everyone knows, will cost hundreds or even billions of dollars.

Every day the brilliant Quino, Mafalda's father, is more and more right: if the cowards who decide wars had to go and fight them, we would all live in peace.