The Iran-US-Israel war has been going on for more than three weeks, leading to concerns. As per the reports of multiple sources including the BBC and CNN, the war has already killed around 2000 from all sides, mostly civilians. Moreover, the war has led to injuries of several thousand, the destruction of hundreds of buildings and the disruptions of economic activities. It remains unclear when and how the war will end. But the war has impacted the development potentials of many including many Iranians, Israelis and others by killing many and putting hindrances to realizing human potentials by injuring many and destroying the economic and other capacities of many.
But it is vital and pertinent to say something about human development. Human development is the development of a human being with the development of different dimensions and the realization of human potential to the highest possible extent by surmounting animality. Human development occurs from one stage to another advanced state. It occurs through several staged processes such as consciousness, consciousness based reasoned choices, plans and strategies for the realization of reasoned choices and the realization of reasoned choices. Moreover, human development is an individualistic and societal process. Human development — alternatively saying — occurs with the individualistic and societal process and through the realization of reasoned choices and surmounting animality. But both survival and conducive societal grounds are vital for human development.
But the war cannot always be avoided. Wars are sometimes justified. Pertinently saying, Just War Theory justifies wars on several grounds such as self-defense against attack, proper authority, last resort, right intention (such as seeking peace) and proportional response. Many reasoned or just wars took place in the past. For example, the retaliatory actions of the Allied Powers, consisting of the UK, France, Russia, the United States and China, against the actions of the Axis Powers, consisting of Germany, Italy and Japan, had reasons such as self-defense or the protection of sovereignty. Consequently, World War II is viewed as justified for the Allied Powers in this sense especially against Nazist German Chancellor Adolf Hitler and fascist Axis leaders.
Tehran, Iran (credit: https://pixabay.com/).
But — importantly — the war needs to be avoided unless it is justified and a last resort. The absence of war leads to stability, provides more space for human development for many and helps realize their reasoned choices through the stated stages. Contrarily, the war reduces the chance of realizing human development potentials of many, even if it can arguably lead to human development for some, depending on its extent. The Iran-US-Israel war has not only ended the development of many and put hindrances to the realization of human potential of many others especially through causing other harms including injuries but also can do so for many others, including Iranians, Israelis and others, if the war does not end soon.
There are conflicting human development potentials regarding wars. While deaths end human development (though deaths may be arguably viewed as the ultimate reasoned goals by some especially on the grounds of patriotism such as ”dying for the nation” or religion such as ”dying for the religious cause”), wars and deaths may also serve as a ground for human development of many others, reflecting the Utilitarian’s moral principle of Greater Good, which indicates that an action is morally right if it produces the maximum overall happiness or benefit for the largest number of people, or the proportionality of Just War theory, which indicates that the overall destruction of the war must not outweigh the good it aims to achieve).
This can be especially pertinent when there are right intentions of war like defending the innocent, restoring just peace, restoring rights or correcting injustice that establish the system that provides better grounds for the development of many human beings. For instance, the World War II has led to greater good especially by causing a better global system, the end of fascism, a more interconnected world, the development of global institutions, economic opportunities, social changes and civil rights, technological advancements and improvement on may other grounds that has later fostered human development in a better way, though the war led to massive destructions, killed around 60 million and injured many others including civilians.
Certain human beings including statesmen may reasonably believe that they have the potential and a reasoned goal of making positive and progressive changes all over the world, or in a region or even a country for the right intention. But the war for this goal — which, even if, has prima facie justification — is not always justifiable on real grounds. Such wars may hiddenly aim to merely realize national goals (such as imperialist or new colonial goals) through war and suppressing the enemy people and their potentials to be self-reliant, not for the fight intention or setting better grounds for actual human development for more people.
Thus, many wars including those that have even led to greater good through major positive changes globally (including the conquests of Alexander the Great that interconnected the world, facilitated economic development and the exchange of knowledge and culture and, consequently, provided advanced grounds for human development all over the world) or that aim to bring greater good in another country may not always be justified. More relevantly, the self-defined intention to bring greater good in Iran through self-defined ”liberation of Iranians” from the anti-human development friendly ruling system established after the 1979 Iranian Revolution does not justify the war and deaths, given that this can lead to more harm and hinder human development rather than bring greater good.
The Iran-US-Israel war needs to be ended. But measures need to be taken to end the war and bring peace. The positive side is that mediation efforts are going on. Though claims of talks by the US administration and denials of any such talks by Iran have been going on, it more convincingly appears that the process is probably underway for ending the war. An Iranian foreign ministry official says that Tehran has received ”points from the US” through mediators as a potential precursor to discussions. Consequently, the chance of ending the war has increased at least somewhat. But the limited trust between the warring parties and several other reasons may hinder.
But emphasis needs to be given to the early ending of the war. The early ending of the war will save more lives and provide more opportunities for realizing human potentials of many — not only in Iran but also in Israel and other countries. The mediators need to put emphasis on reaching an agreement in such a way that does not undermine the human development potentials of any of the parties involved in the war.
