War, what is it good for?

In Israel's case, it's good for land, wealth, and regional dominance

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I wish I could join Edwin Starr in singing that war is good for absolutely nothing. I really wish that were true. But I’m a military historian and sadly war often is “good” for something, even if that “something” isn’t morally or legally justifiable or defensible.

Yes, Edwin Starr was right: there’s got to be a better way than mass death and destruction for humans to settle their differences. But we humans often prefer the worst way, and that’s certainly true of Israel’s right-wing government and its vicious actions against the Palestinians in Gaza.

First, let’s take a close look at why Israel says it’s massively bombing Gaza and driving the people there southwards: to defeat Hamas. Hamas is a political movement and also a paramilitary/terrorist outfit consisting of perhaps 30,000 fighters. As an idea, as a political movement, you can’t destroy Hamas through mass bombing and ethnic cleansing. With respect to killing Hamas fighters, who have a well-developed system of tunnels, mass bombing and large-scale conventional military operations using tanks, artillery, and heavy infantry isn’t the wisest or most effective technique.