Killing One Person is a Tragedy, Killing a Million is a Statistic

 

                             Henry Kissinger

I know I’m breaking my cousin Steve’s rule that you should learn more about an issue before making a judgement, but with the war in Gaza killing tens of thousands, and the death of Henry Kissinger, who may have been responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths, in the news, I just have to make a comment. 

The title of this post, “Killing  One Person is a Tragedy, Killing a Million is a Statistic” has been attributed to Joseph Stalin, of all people. He should know, being responsible for 43 million deaths, according to columnist Ron Bailey, in his article in the magazine, Reason.  Stalin probably said this to justify killing millions, so it’s ironic that his words are now used to condemn his unthinkable crime.

I just watched Fareed Zakaria’s program on CNN. He interviewed Henry Kissinger’s biographer, Niall Ferguson. When asked for his response to criticisms of Kissinger’s policies, his response was “disgusting.” I’m sure he knows a lot more about Kissinger than I do, but to me his response is just another example of the idea that ideology is more important than human life, and its corollary, that American lives are worth more than those in other countries. Kissinger supported our secret bombing of Cambodia near the end of the Vietnam war, starting an eight year genocide by the Khmer Rouge, hoping it would put us into a better negotiating position with North Vietnam. He backed West Pakistan in their war to put down East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, in their fight for independence, because he thought it would weaken India and the Soviet Union in our cold war struggle against communism. That war cost the lives of as many as 500,000 people. Kissinger also supported Indonesia in putting down a rebellion in East Timor, as well as insurrections in Chile and Argentina, in hopes of getting governments more friendly to the U.S.. Kissinger got the Nobel Peace Prize, in spite of his responsibility for the lives lost. How absurd is this?   

Kissinger’s legacy brings to mind Israel’s killing of 15,000 Gazans, so far, mostly civilians, in response to the terrorist attacks by Hamas, which killed 1500 Israelis. That’s ten to one, so far. Israel’s actions are based on ideology, that Hamas must be destroyed as a political movement, that they have no choice, since Hamas is imbedded among the civilian population, and that Palestinian lives are not worth as much as Israelis. That’s not to mention the desire for revenge. 

Our response, that we support Israel, no matter their actions, likewise ignores the issue of lives lost. Israel and Gaza are not ethnic monoliths. They are diverse groups of individuals, each with his or her own beliefs, hopes, and talents; each with his own family and friends; each of whom is important in his own way. 

I support Israel’s right to exist, and also her right to defend herself, but why can’t the cost in human life be factored into decisions. Palestinian lives are worth as much as Israeli lives, as are Ukrainian, Russian, and American lives. We’re all humans. I suppose there are reasons to go to war, given the need to defend ourselves against those who would abuse or kill us, but loss of life needs to be considered. It’s the most important thing, to my mind. 

How differently would the Israeli government act if they weren’t dead set on revenge. I’m no expert on either diplomacy or war, but even I can think of some alternatives to destroying Gaza and everyone in it. Israel is one of the richest, most technologically sophisticated countries in the world. Why don’t they concentrate their bombing on the sites where Hamas is launching the bombs, or better, extend the cease fire? Why don’t they identify and indict those responsible for the attacks? Why don’t they agree to negotiate with Hamas to end the fighting? Why don’t they consider a plan which would give Palestinians independence? Why don’t they consider giving aid to the Gazans to rebuild their country, and help raise them out of poverty? Why don’t they stop building settlements on Palestinian land?   

Human life is precious. Why can’t we get that through our thick skulls?