I thought about this topic yesterday (Rememberance Day) while driving to work. Why is Canada needed in Afghanistan? Why do countries with certain idealogues enter others?

It comes down to control. People like to control other people and recently it’s gotten easier. The ease is due to improvements in weapons technology. For instance, way back when swords were in fashion a large army was required to control a population (remember, we’re talking about oppressed populations here). A sword really didn’t do as much damage so the bearer could be overpowered relatively easily.

The introduction of the gun completely changed everything. People could now be harmed from a much greater distance and the guns were also terribly expensive. Fewer people were now needed to control the large population as every strike virtually guaranteed death and a much larger number of people would be required in order to overpower a single oppressor.

The same principle applies today. There are oppressive rich folk who can afford the guns in 3rd world nations and they control a very large populace. So as technology has advanced it’s become increasingly easy for a very small idealogical group to take over a poor group that can’t afford to fight back.

That’s where rich nations come in. Rich nations can afford guns and even the poorest of their citizens are capable of obtaining such weapons (thus avoiding any chance of oppression in those countries). Rich nations thus can either provide weapons or help those in other countries that are in need.

Consider that all present and former superpowers gave not food but weapons to other countries. It is of course a way of control and any attempt to control always backfires (Vietnam, Iran/Iraq, Central America).

The problem with giving weapons to an oppressed group is that if their idealogy differs even slightly then they’ll use those weapons to fight you. The solution is education of the masses and not forcing ones own idealogy upon them.