The hyper-reality created by social engineers set the boundaries of social conventions in order to entrain groups of people to be cannon fodder in geopolitical chess games.
The early 20th century political intrigue in the Balkans parallels today's geopolitical conflict in Eurasia. Expansionism, Imperialists' brinkmanship and a domino effect culminated in what essence is the greatest tragedy of modern history. Typically, this blight in human history is quantified in sheer numbers --which is useful in underlining the utter wastefulness & absurdity of Total War. It's not numbers that convey the whole story. Historical narratives which are beneficial to the people AND NOT the politician need to be QUALIFIED by human experience.
Journaling the events, the numbers and political figureheads is useful for the historian --but for History to be useful to US IN OUR TIME we must contextualize the human experience in historically significant events. This knowledge dispels the collective madness the sweeps politically unenlightened masses into a frenzy of patriotic fervor, self-destructive political action and sectarian conflict.
In definitive terms we can outline the interconnecting trails of political groups, media networks and prominent persons to illustrate the centralization of power in society: i.e. subversive movements and social engineering of public opinion. This train of thought informs us of the material dialectical aspects of modern history. If we are looking for the phenomenological, ontological or metaphysical factors which prompt the collective Will of a society, a city and a nation to sustain determination for Total War --then we must look beyond official history and rediscover the stories of forgotten Heroes.
"A hospital alone shows what war is..."
"It must all be lies when a culture of a thousand years could not prevent this bloodshed..." All Quiet On The Western Front
The first two decades of the 21st century parallel the "Modern World" of the early 20th century.
The technological innovation of Cameras, Horseless Carriage and the Assembly Line brought about renewed idealism. The expansionism by Imperial powers in Africa, Latin America and the Levant set the stage for future conflict. As Germany, France and England vie for supremacy the dying Hapsburg Empire desperately looks to redeem itself in the world stage. The Black Hand (Serbian terrorist group with suspicious connections) operative Gavrilo Princip triggered the domino effect, but the stage for Total War was set decades before by little men lusting after world-dominion.
The machinations of the Great War is in the most literal sense by means of conspiracy.
"The First World War was begun by small ruling elites. Their peoples were not consulted. Mutual suspicion, brinkmanship, arrogance, belligerence and, above all, fear were rife in the halls of power across Europe in the summer of 1914" --Ring of Steel by Alexander Watson
If we are to believe today's headlines then the current conflict between Russia and the United States is an existential crisis between liberalizing forces of the West against the despotic & anachronistic Russian Federation. The Counter-Narrative in "opposition" is presented as a religio-social struggle against the Great Satan; i.e. the American Global Order.
An exhaustive list of factoids which demonstrates the controversial necon project, "The New American Century," the political subversions sponsored by the State Department and the inconsistent tech-transfers to "enemy" nations from private interests operating in America --unfortunately do not dispel the Machiavellian Machinations of Global Hegemony.
To connect these dots is useful but limited by significant factors that are taken for granted by individuals. For example, we become conditioned by the media (technology) we consume, by the people we associate with and by our attachment to ideas. Even in our quotidian life (life away from the political machinery) we cannot completely remove ourselves from State-sanctioned social conventions.
Ultimately, it is the Social Convention in Culture which becomes the first victim or complicit agent of the Will-to-Power of authoritarians --little men with empty hearts. As discussed in previous articles, the foundational beliefs & ideas of the West have descended into reductionism, material-dialecticism and birthed neo-liberal nihilism.
World events are not irrational, spontaneous or coincidental but purposefully driven by highly motivated individuals in critical areas of power. A congress of political operatives can influence the direction of the world in a short-sighted attempt to maintain control.
At the same time, one must contend with the complicity of the people whose animus resonates with the War Propaganda...we must contend with the idea that without popular support World War cannot happen. This is an important aspect to highlight when reflecting on the current geopolitical crisis in the new multipolar world epoch. (Read More: The New War & The New Human)
Let us not take for granted the popular support for these military campaigns by the people. It is political convenient to lay the blame for the 1st World War on a coterie of small-minded men with a penchant for power.
The World War of 1914-18 was utterly unlike most former wars... it was a war for existence, a war of the people in the fullest sense.' -- Erich Ludendorff
The fact of an open conspiracy which threw the world in a massive conflict in which millions of people die is discarded as a spontaneous aberration.
Propaganda, censorship and social forces have penetrated all aspects of life in such a way that to refuse the "Current Thing" is to be crazy, ugly and outright stupid. This sophomoric level of propaganda & social coercion is purposeful but also is business as usual.
Consequently, generations of individuals participated in the fashionable trends in earnest, because part of them truly believed that they reached the edge of history; a shift was about to unfold. Like decades before them the promise of a new & better world was dangled above the heads of a naïve generation.
Blinded by Utopianism, naivety and by the technological hubris of Modern People (whether in early 20th century or at the dawn of the 21st century) -- we are led by a carrot & stick towards the proverbial No-Mans Land; i.e. a Post-Human world.
The Greatest Game Repurposed for Modern Times
Today, most people do not possess any meaning beyond their political identity, lifestyle choice or corporate-approved cultural identity --moreover they possess no historical significance. And yet most people share the belief that the latest app or disruptive tech will finally override the "limitations" of humanity, and supplant "legacy belief" in freedom, family & property --with communitarianism, transhumanism and freedom from freedom.
Unsurprisingly, the major players, stakeholders and figureheads who build up the Panopticon have connection with the Military-Industrial-Complex. For example, the social media network in its unauthorized history originates from DARPA in an effort to catalogued a profile of civilians in real time for intelligence & military purposes. This crucial Social-Management tool in essence was a soft-power vehicle which sparked social unrest world-wide; most notably in Egypt.
The alternative media perpetually exposes the "truth" on the Cyber-Domain, but in some ways that has become ineffectual in impacting meaningful change in world events. The major example cited in the recent World Economic Forum article as an indication of the public's readiness to comply with Covid-1984 biopolitical mandates. In essence, the public's consent & cheerleading of "brutal but effective" policies (e.g. China's ZeroCovid policy) signals to the social engineers people's readiness for the next chapter in World War.