Show A. A ON N N N N N N N N N N N M N N N K KS W KT BABSON'S i T S 2 AUTHENTIC E i 2 y II REPORT IY I t Bo Borer er r w W. W bOD Babson n Y T Futility Of War The Israeli Arab-Israeli War of 1967 lasted less than a week Al Although Although Although Al- Al though Israeli casualties were amazingly low Arab dead and wounded mounted to the tens lens of th thousands i ISRAELS ISRAEL'S pocket OUT costs are estimated at million while the cost to the Arab nations must surely be reckoned In billions While this may still not convince convince convince con con- vince us of the complete futility of war It should at least drive home the fact that even little wars are far too expensive to tolerate ISRAE ISRAEL L AND the Arab nations are poles apart on many is issues issues issues is- is sues but surely their estrangement estrangement estrangement estrange estrange- ment Is no greater than that between the victors and the vanquished in world war II who found foun 1 a way to rise above their animosities and work together for the reconstruction of their homelands What the Israeli and their Arab neighbors do have In common common common com com- mon are problems of inflation heavy defense burdens ir irrigation irrigation irrigation ir- ir costs difficulties of reclaiming ming the desert and making it productive and the need to lift the regional economy from the backwardness back In which it is still Immersed BOTH ISRAEL and the Arab world must be appalled at the cost of the recent war which has created more problems than it has solved and which has left leIt both sides poorer by far than before it began Hopefully from the experience experience experience ence of this war the great the powers United States and the Soviet Union Union have have learned that even for them small wars are too costly SINCE THE VERY dawn of human history the Middle East has repeatedly been an area of conflict What we have witnessed witnessed witnessed wit wit- in recent weeks was the rekindling of some very ancient enmities with the fire fanned by extremist groups on both sides as well as by forces from outside the region At this moment peace In the area Is no more than a cease cease- fire The world community cannot cannot cannot can can- not yet rest secure in the knowledge knowledge know know- ledge that wider war in the Middle East involving East involving t the h e great and middle powers powers may may not still break out NEITHER THE Israeli heady with victory nor the Arabs still proud and vituperative in their defeat seem ready to come to grips with the issues that divide them But when tempers have cooled perhaps a wider realization of the futility of war will lead to a meaningful agreement for coexistence an an agree agreement men t that will encompass Arab recognition recognition recognition rec rec- of Israe Israels Israel's ls l's statehood and Israeli recognition of Its obligations to help provide for resettlement of the Palestinian refugees THERE ARE lessons aplenty to be learned by the United States the Sovi Soviet et Union and andRed andRed andRed Red China from the Middle r East War Var In Vietnam the United States is deeply involved In a military action that commands the pre pre- sence of nearly half a million young American military per per- Its dollar cost to us threatens to rival that of World War II on a to month-to-month basis In Korea we still maintain maintain maintain main main- tain a large force to safeguard an ti tion on ADMITTEDLY there is slim sUm prospect of an early end to the Vietnam War much less lessof lessof of ot a more wholesome and constructive constructive constructive con con- solution in Korea But the Arab debacle could couldwell couldwell couldwell well lead to some different attitudes in coming weeks and months At any rate new US U.S. a diplomatic i pi 0 mati c fee feelers 1 e r sought ought to be put out if only to make sure that no chance for negotiation tion and tion and ultimate is peace peace is missed EACH OF US looks out upon the world from the centrality of his own position falsely assuming as assuming assuming as- as suming that he is located at atthe atthe atthe the hub of the universe And so it Is with nations too THE FACT Is we live in ina a polycentric world In which which for all their armed might their and their wealth I manpower the two great powers are not paramount Their new awareness awareness awareness aware aware- ness of the limits of their power just could convince them themI I of the futility of war and lead i them into productive opera co tion I |