Unwillingness to risk loss of life

The apparent futility of many ideals and abstract goals and the painful conflicts they engender has led to an increasing unwillingness, whether on the part of the individuals concerned or their employers, to risk loss of life and the ability to pursue personal happiness. Other than in special circumstances, such as violent sports and mountaineering, considerable effort is deployed to prevent loss of life and the avoidance of any unnecessary exposure to risk, even if the individual desires it. Politically it has become increasingly unacceptable for industrialized societies to place their military personnel at risk even when there is a possibility of saving other human lives.

Vietnam and equivalent European experiences have resulted in a timid pattern of civilian leadership that is deeply afraid of any protracted involvement or risk to military life. Generals are not allowed to set the rules of intervention which now envisage engagement only where national interest permits the deployment of overwhelming military force, as in Kuwait, or where the risks are negligible as in Somalia.