Has anyone noticed that there’s major humility in losing a war? Take a look at countries like Japan and Germany, for instance. Both got battered in the biggest wars in the world, but they are now among the most progressive countries in the world; when it comes to technological and social advancement, they are leaps and bounds ahead.

So how is that possible?

The answer lies in a combination a factors. For a start, the citizens of the respective countries swore never to go through such horror again. Also, like Japan, Germany was forced to surrender unconditionally. In other words, the Allies could do as they pleased with the country. The country was divided into four zones (US, British, French and Soviet) governed by the four powers of occupation. Germany was not allowed to have an army like Japan’s post-war disarmament. However, the Cold War changed this: though the size of these forces was limited, they were permitted to retain a force capable of national defence.
What this means is that war-chest funds are diverted into other areas of the economy – mainly research and development, and towards creating a better lifestyle for the countries’ citizens. German now stands at the forefront of the European Union and has intervened in a number of financial and squabbles between euro-countries. It has also spent six decades undoing the damage the war left on the country and its citizens, and has welcomed foreign nationals to benefit from its world-class economy.

SA, on the other hand, without even the remotest threat of war spends up to R32bn on defence. Do we need war and a subsequent arms embargo to make us divert funds into helping the poor and fighting HIV/Aids? I wonder.