THE SPOILS OF WAR…

"To the victor belong the spoils…" -- Andrew Jackson

We've all heard the term -- spoils of war… But a more precise, a more descriptive term would be -- looting (lets be honest). I mean, really -- lets call a spade a spade. To the victor go the spoils… When look into the atrocities that occur "after" a conflict (war) is over.., it is hard to distinguish which was worse -- the war or the reprehensible acts that followed.

Spoils of war, were necessary when you step back in time -- wars of the past dating back as far as the crusades… It was used as a tool of fear -- the losing side would be looted, plundered and it's women raped. A more sterile reason for the spoils of war -- was payment.., soldiers of the past often served and fought without pay. This reprehensible practice was their "booty," their reward. Also, these conflicts (wars) needed to be funded and looting could sustain an on-going campaign.

Spoils of War History

During the Napoleonic Wars the French plundered Italy, Spain and Germany. Unfortunately for them the British beat them to Egypt and looted anything worth looting before they could -- that's why the Rosetta Stone resides in The British Museum and not the Louvre. Even after the people turned on Napoleon, they had no problem keeping the incredible art, courtesy of the spoils of war.

Often this theft, savagery.., and the atrocities that occurred were justified by the past… The Romans looted the Greeks, so the French felt justified looting from the Romans, and so on -- you can pretty much justify anything to win your argument and "justify"almost any kind of immoral behavior. But when you have to use the mis-deeds of the past to justify your actions in the present, it becomes a slippery slope. One that relies on legal ease, rather than right or wrong.

These days the spoils of war, usually does not include looting whole countries of their bounty, it still exists on many levels… From Yazidi women and girls being treated as "spoils of war" by the Islamic State, when they took control of the Iraqi town of Sinjar. They were sold openly as slaves, raped and used… Being killed or slaughtered was considered a more preferable outcome, then becoming part of the spoils of war...

Spoils of War Art and Treasure

When it comes to great works of art, part of the culture, the history -- there is something called repatriation (returning of the treasures to there proper home).., but unfortunately, this can be a never-ending path… Once again, there are tools to combat giving up your spoils of war, that lead you down a rabbit hole of legal ease, with such terms as "statute of limitations" or laches. Theses are terms used by countries and lawyers to retain the objects of desire that were stolen or looted -- an effort to not return them (no wonder people hate lawyers). Im sorry, too much time has past, so we will be keeping part of your history -- too bad.

Spoils of War Psychology

War takes place on many levels -- physical, emotional, spiritual and intellectual. The spoils of war is often used as a fear based tool -- psychologically, it messes with your head, instills fear and can effect an opponents strategy to fight or flee. If the physical, emotional and spiritual outcomes were too gruesome to bear.., an opponent would likely flee, relinquishing their land and place in any kind of hierarchy.

Intellectually, the decision to fight to the death -- or the will to stay and battle against the odds.., knowing the practical outcome will mean your death, is sometimes more acceptable than becoming part of the spoils of war. The dishonor associated with the act of surrender before death, becoming part of the conquerors polity is so great that some will take their own lives before this outcome -- never once considering that becoming part of the spoils of war as an option.

"But in modern war you will die
like a dog for no good reason." -- Ernest Hemingway

Modern Spoils of War

War today… War between countries today is much different in many, many ways… They are fought with the tools of our time, from propaganda to men or women clicking a mouse and inflicting great destruction. The spoils of war has taken on different meaning (mostly)… Today we nation build, we sell off business to the highest bidder or most connected. In our more civilized countries we have put an end to the pillaging as we understood it in the past, in terms of atrocity.

Today we leave the pillage and plundering to men in suits -- politicians and the business men and decisions that control them… Instead of "spoils of war" it is now "economic development." Instead of armies rampaging for treasure, we now sign contracts and sell off parts of the defeated country. Like many (or most) other things of great importance in the world today, the decisions being made are based on money -- profits.

The allowance of the victor to unleash an army of so-called business men to invade and rebuild a society based not only on profits, but being able to repatriate that money (booty) immediately back to their given country. All in the guise of "capitalism" or a better description -- a capitalist bonanza. We may not incur the spoils of war like the conquerors of the past, by pillaging and plundering -- we just take your spirit, soul and economy.

"I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can,
only as one who has seen its brutality,
its futility, its stupidity." -- Dwight D. Eisenhower

Unfortunately, for some -- the old ways of war still exist.., and the spoils of war are just as atrocious as the past… Mainly the rape and sexual abuse of the defeated -- their women and young girls are impregnated in a form of ethnic cleansing. Beyond the past of "sexual gratification" raping is seen as a way to redraw ethnic boundaries. The women seen only as a bi-product of reproducers, thus destroying the opposing countries or societies heritage -- wiping it out, actually. From the Yazidi women being taken by the Islamic State to Bosnian women being impregnated by Serbians. The Pakistani's used this as a strategic tactic in Bangladeshi's fight for independence -- in an effort to weaken the enemy.

The future president of the US has recently used the term "spoils of war" concerning all the oil in Iraq -- "We'll take the oil." As for the international law that addresses acts such as this -- it is easily by-passed, with the excuse of "safety" -- keeping the "peace." While most of the world believes we have moved beyond the atrocities of the spoils of war, if you just take the time to look at what is occurring in our world today, it is hard to make an argument that we have evolved at all, when it come to how we deal with occupying a defeated nation. And make no mistake about it.., the "spoils of war" continue to be doled out.

"Mankind must put an end to war
or war will put an end to mankind." -- John F. Kennedy


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