Life Onboard LAST UPDATE  July 21, 2010
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June 15, 2010 The Cycle of War – Takahashi Kazuo
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Takahashi Kazuo has a weekly show that is broadcast on Japanese television where he discusses international relations and politics.

"What makes countries go to war again and again?" guest educator Takahashi Kazuo asked the audience during his final lecture onboard the 69th Voyage. The Middle East expert and international affairs scholar spoke about a wide range of topics as he travelled with Peace Boat from Yokohama to Bergen. The common theme linking all of his seminars and talks was war. "There have been a staggering number of cases where a country will once again go to war, moments after achieving peace," Mr Takahashi said. Using Viet Nam as an example, he explained how civilians endured 30 years of conflict after they rose up against the French following World War II. They then fought amongst themselves in a civil war before going on to fight the United States of America, Cambodia and China in another three separate wars. Lasting peace was only achieved in 1980 when China pulled out of Viet Nam.
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Mr Takahashi, joined by fellow guest lecturer Achin Vanaik, expresses his support for Article 9 of Japan's constitution which forbids the country from keeping military forces for aggressive purposes.

There are many theories about why wars occur in such quick succession, Mr Takahashi said. "If there is a social class that depends on war to earn a living, then they will continue to go to war." The best example of this is the US and the amount of money that the government and US-owned companies earn by selling arms around the world. Not only has the US backed militant governments and groups such as the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, but it has been in an almost continuous state of war throughout the second half of the 20th century and beyond, escalating since its involvement in the first Gulf War of 1991. The US is currently fighting two protracted wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in addition to the support that it lends to other nations in conflict such as Pakistan. "A country will also continue to go to war if it is able to support a large army," Mr Takahashi said. He pointed out that the US has the largest military in the world, with bases in more than 100 countries scattered around the globe.
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During this voyage, Mr Takahashi accompanied a group of Peace Boat participants to a Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan.
The legacy of war is a central element in Mr Takahashi's life. He once met the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and has advised the Japanese government about the Middle East. Conflict in this region has bred a 'warrior class' of people who only know how to fight and lack the skills needed for employment in the workforce, Mr Takahashi said. Typically young men aged in their twenties are expected to gain experience that will help them find work and become an integral part of a peaceful society. "But if these men know only how to fight, then they will continue to seek conflict in times of peace."
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Mr Takahashi held private sessions with Global University students to teach them about international events.
Some of these men are being sucked into new private armies that are being used by the US military and its allies. The outsourcing of wars to companies and contractors is a worrying new trend, Mr Takahashi said. "Fighters are being bred all around the world for transnational companies." This is problematic because these mercenaries will always seek out war and could potentially act to encourage conflict because it is profitable to do so. "When a group of people begin to profit and earn a living from war, then they keep looking for war zones and try to make war," Mr Takahashi said. For there to be lasting peace, there must be support for these soldiers so that they can make the transition to civilian life.