The remains of the Prefectural Industry Promotion Building, which was later preserved as the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, seen in September 1945 after the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan.
Photo by AFP/Getty Images
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Answer by Jon Davis, military and cultural historian, veteran of U.S. military:
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Hiroshima and Nagasaki effectively ended a period of warfare that began with the advent of modern artillery and aerial bombing and ended with the downfall of one of the most aggressive empires in history. They weren't, despite many people's belief, unique in the scale of devastation because of the weapons used to bring them down. There are dozens of situations when we see entire cities wiped off the map both during, and even before, World War II. That practice didn't start with the Americans, and the Japanese are just as guilty of it.
That said, I have often defined terrorism as any malicious actions against civilian populations with the intent of forcing them to make political choices in your favor. We could argue that the two cities had very strategic purposes: One was a major military city, and the other an important manufacturing center for the military effort. It's obvious, though, that the intention was to instill enough fear in the civilian population that they would force the hand of the Japanese leadership.
We could see the same being said of the Allied bombing of Dresden or the Nazi bombing of London, the raids on Hamburg, or the Japanese occupation of Nanjing, known historically as the Rape of Nanking, if you want to assume the Japanese were the only victims of that war. As I said, the practice began even sooner, wherein German strategists tested new methods of destruction with Spanish allies during the Spanish Civil War. Those first of many downfalls of humanity is immortalized in works such as Guernica by Pablo Picasso. What World War II taught us was that this strategy really didn't work very often. In most cases, it gave resolve to the civilian population, except when coupled with the presence of follow-on troops or the overwhelming force of a single weapon.
After the war, many new treaties stopped the practices that had become commonplace. Now, there really are no times where large numbers of people die in wars that people would say, “Well, that's just the way it goes.” I'd like to think that leveling a whole city won't ever happen again. It hasn't in the last 70 years. The fact that we live in the age of laser and GP-guided precision bombing means that sort of destruction is simply not necessary. The Baghdad bombing in 2003 showed the power of precision bombing to completely level a regime, while leaving the civilian population intact. Independent studies have ranked the initial civilian casualties of that invasion at less than 7,000 for the whole country. While that number seems appalling in and of itself, it pales to the 10 million civilian losses suffered by Germany, or the 15 million lost to the Russians. The Baghdad bombing brought about a new age of warfare that, when followed through to completion, is in truth the most peaceful era the world has yet seen. In bitter honesty, the bombing was actually too effective compared with the old method because it left the country devoid of any leadership necessary to go on, while not reducing the civilian population to compensate. I know that sounds terrible, but having fewer mouths to feed has been a realistic aspect that helped get suffering regimes through the horrible times. With Iraq, you had a full population with no one to govern it.
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"Terrorism" is kind of a loaded, vague term, and honestly we should try to phase it out for more specific and better words. More...
Regardless of the success or failure of the Iraq war, we live in a time that won't accept large-scale bombing campaigns like we saw in World War II. There are obvious connotations of terrorism. That said, our understanding of war today is what makes us define terrorism the way we do. Nations don't fight as they did a century ago, when it was, I'll call it, “acceptable” to see massive numbers of civilian losses, so long as they weren't your own. Technology and a more complex diplomatic environment has changed the way we fight and forced us to abandon old strategies like citywide bombing. Groups that lack the resources of large nations to fight for whatever they believe in, good or bad, use tactics that we would consider terrorism. That is what modern terrorism means. For that reason, it doesn't really work to compare 1940s nations at war with the terrorists of today.
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The Principle of Least Interest: He who cares least about a relationship, controls it.
Only by the bleeding heart, spineless, limptards of the world.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
I visited the Peace Museum in Hiroshima. One of the things I found missing was the acts that lead up to the bombing, in particular, the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Perhaps it was there, but I did not see it.
I visited the Peace Museum in Hiroshima. One of the things I found missing was the acts that lead up to the bombing, in particular, the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Perhaps it was there, but I did not see it.
All is fair in love and war.
They still deny the Rape of Nanking and the use of Chinese women as sex slaves. Japan has never admitted to a lot of atrocities.
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I drink coffee so I don't kill you.
I quilt so I don't kill you.
Do you see a theme?
Faith isn't something that keeps bad things from happening. Faith is what helps us get through bad things when they do happen.
I visited the Peace Museum in Hiroshima. One of the things I found missing was the acts that lead up to the bombing, in particular, the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Perhaps it was there, but I did not see it.
All is fair in love and war.
I read about 10 years ago, that more than half of all Japanese high school students believed that on December 7th, 1941,
the United States attacked the Japanese fleet based in Pearl Harbor, thus dragging Japan into the war.
__________________
The Principle of Least Interest: He who cares least about a relationship, controls it.
I visited the Peace Museum in Hiroshima. One of the things I found missing was the acts that lead up to the bombing, in particular, the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Perhaps it was there, but I did not see it.
All is fair in love and war.
I read about 10 years ago, that more than half of all Japanese high school students believed that on December 7th, 1941,
the United States attacked the Japanese fleet based in Pearl Harbor, thus dragging Japan into the war.
I remember reading that also, ed. The Japanese students are not taught that Japan was the aggressor in WWII.
__________________
I drink coffee so I don't kill you.
I quilt so I don't kill you.
Do you see a theme?
Faith isn't something that keeps bad things from happening. Faith is what helps us get through bad things when they do happen.
I visited the Peace Museum in Hiroshima. One of the things I found missing was the acts that lead up to the bombing, in particular, the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Perhaps it was there, but I did not see it.
All is fair in love and war.
I don't think all is fair in war. We have war crime courts for a reason. Civilians should be left out as much as possible.
there was much spin about " strategic " bombing in Germany during the war--the fliers ( my father was one of them ) knew differently--they were engaged in " area " bombing which, regardless of the spin, was a direct attack against civilians / non-combatants--the brits, of course, led the way but the other allies went along--Churchill was intent on punishing the German population--right or wrong, that's what happened
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" the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. "--edmund burke
I visited the Peace Museum in Hiroshima. One of the things I found missing was the acts that lead up to the bombing, in particular, the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Perhaps it was there, but I did not see it.
All is fair in love and war.
I don't think all is fair in war. We have war crime courts for a reason. Civilians should be left out as much as possible.
That's ridiculous. Only try to attack military? Never. Bomb the schitt out of them.
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America guarantees equal opportunity, not equal outcome...
We had DECLARED war on Japan that is why it is not terrorism. They had plenty of notice. ISIS has no "country" so there is no war to declare on them. However, we have agreements, treaties, whatever with plenty of countries where ISIS terrorist operate and we act according to our treaty/agreement with that country. This is a stupid liberal article.
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Sometimes you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug.
I visited the Peace Museum in Hiroshima. One of the things I found missing was the acts that lead up to the bombing, in particular, the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Perhaps it was there, but I did not see it.
All is fair in love and war.
I don't think all is fair in war. We have war crime courts for a reason. Civilians should be left out as much as possible.
They are. But when a gov't disguises their bombs and weapons and such is schools and hospitals, we have to go after those. That is on that gov't disguising the bombs.
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Sometimes you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug.
I visited the Peace Museum in Hiroshima. One of the things I found missing was the acts that lead up to the bombing, in particular, the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Perhaps it was there, but I did not see it.
All is fair in love and war.
I don't think all is fair in war. We have war crime courts for a reason. Civilians should be left out as much as possible.
That's ridiculous. Only try to attack military? Never. Bomb the schitt out of them.
I'm not specifically talking about Japan & WW2. Personally, if we bomb the **** out of them, then they may bomb the **** out of us and we could be held for war crimes. These things need to be thought about and I am not ok with killing innocent children period.
In situations where it is you or them, I think all of us want to be the ones walking away.
__________________
A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
He sends one of yours to the hospital, send one of his to the morgue.
__________________
A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
In situations where it is you or them, I think all of us want to be the ones walking away.
Do 2 wrongs make a right? Also, besides Pearl Harbor and 9-11 when have we had recent fighting on our soil where that mentality needs to be dealt with?
In situations where it is you or them, I think all of us want to be the ones walking away.
Do 2 wrongs make a right? Also, besides Pearl Harbor and 9-11 when have we had recent fighting on our soil where that mentality needs to be dealt with?
If we show no force, then we lose. What color burka would you like to wear? How many steps behind your husband and son will you walk? Which terrorist group do you choose to strap a bomb on your DD when he is 4 to run into a crowd?
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Sometimes you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug.
In situations where it is you or them, I think all of us want to be the ones walking away.
Do 2 wrongs make a right? Also, besides Pearl Harbor and 9-11 when have we had recent fighting on our soil where that mentality needs to be dealt with?
Boston Marathon bombing
shoe bomber
probably 2 dozen more we didn't hear about
Hitler had a plan to take over the world, so does ISIS. Don't think for a second they would let you live.
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The Principle of Least Interest: He who cares least about a relationship, controls it.
Bomb the schitt out of them. _______________________
warriors don't kill the innocent and the defenseless--that's what murderers do
Exactly.
WRONG WRONG WRONG !!!
Throughout history, and certainly before people were recording history, that's EXACTLY what warriors -- soldiers -- have done.
First kill the men, then rape the women and take the women and children as slaves ... or kill the men, rape the women, then kill the women and children.
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The Principle of Least Interest: He who cares least about a relationship, controls it.
I don't understand the mentality of the military being labeled as terroristic. Sure, innocent men, women and children are killed during wars, BUT, terrorists kill the innocent ALL the time. Doesn't matter to a terroristic groups that they are killing innocent people. While on the other hand, it does both military personnel when innocent civilians are casualties.
IMHO, the military (ours) cares, terrorists do not.
I relate it to the owning of guns. If the public does not have guns, the lawless will and then there is anarchy.
We must remember our history or history will repeat itself until the lesson is learned. Over 50 million lives where lost in the last great war. How many will be lost in the next one?
Don't kid yourself into thinking it will not happen again. It will. It's just a matter of time.
__________________
I drink coffee so I don't kill you.
I quilt so I don't kill you.
Do you see a theme?
Faith isn't something that keeps bad things from happening. Faith is what helps us get through bad things when they do happen.
In situations where it is you or them, I think all of us want to be the ones walking away.
Do 2 wrongs make a right? Also, besides Pearl Harbor and 9-11 when have we had recent fighting on our soil where that mentality needs to be dealt with?
Do you have ANY idea what the Japanese were doing during the war? They were NOT going to surrender. Hell, they didn't even surrender after the FIRST bomb, which is why the 2nd was dropped. You think about the losses, but had those bombs not been dropped, a LOT more people would have died.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
In situations where it is you or them, I think all of us want to be the ones walking away.
Do 2 wrongs make a right? Also, besides Pearl Harbor and 9-11 when have we had recent fighting on our soil where that mentality needs to be dealt with?
Do you have ANY idea what the Japanese were doing during the war? They were NOT going to surrender. Hell, they didn't even surrender after the FIRST bomb, which is why the 2nd was dropped. You think about the losses, but had those bombs not been dropped, a LOT more people would have died.
Thank you.
Honestly, our educational system in regards to history sucks. We tend to forget CONTEXT when we discuss past actions. The CULTURE of the Japanese Islands at the time was nothing like the CULTURE of the United States. The Japanese culture of the day included the Kamikaze, Banzai Charges, Seppuku, etc. And let us NOT forget what the civilian population did at Saipan.
The decision to use the two nuclear bombs was not a whim. Truman had no other choice, given the CONTEXT of the CULTURE he was up against. The culture would never had surrendered or at least would have dragged out for YEARS, thus causing MORE DEATHS (both Japanese and Allies) than the loss of these two cities.
Terrorists who bomb races, hotels, and restaurants are most assuredly NOT trying to end the fighting for all, in order for all to prosper.
And to even begin to compare the two shows such a lack of basic comprehension.
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“One day, you will be old enough to start reading fairytales again.”
C.S.Lewis
Honestly, our educational system in regards to history sucks. We tend to forget CONTEXT when we discuss past actions. The CULTURE of the Japanese Islands at the time was nothing like the CULTURE of the United States. The Japanese culture of the day included the Kamikaze, Banzai Charges, Seppuku, etc. And let us NOT forget what the civilian population did at Saipan.
The decision to use the two nuclear bombs was not a whim. Truman had no other choice, given the CONTEXT of the CULTURE he was up against. The culture would never had surrendered or at least would have dragged out for YEARS, thus causing MORE DEATHS (both Japanese and Allies) than the loss of these two cities.
Terrorists who bomb races, hotels, and restaurants are most assuredly NOT trying to end the fighting for all, in order for all to prosper.
And to even begin to compare the two shows such a lack of basic comprehension.
YES !!!
The terrorists in ISIS only understand DEATH. They will do ANYTHING to expand their Caliphate, and their goal is total world domination.
Which means they plan to kill ALL OF US.
The only way I see to stop them is to wipe them off the face of the Earth.
Note that the men doing this consider their women and children to be unimportant and will sacrifice them as bomb shields or suicide bombers to further their cause.
We cannot succeed by trying to limit the collateral damage. THEY don't mind the collateral damage.
__________________
The Principle of Least Interest: He who cares least about a relationship, controls it.
the Israelis have dealt with these sorts on a daily basis for decades--and they have survived as a nation--much like killing snakes, they prefer the surgical strikes to remove the head ( the leadership ) and work to eliminate the systemic poison that raises snakes
if terrorists could be eliminated with one surgical or one huge, all-encompassing strike then it would have been done long before now
such is not the nature of the beast--in the meantime, we must hold to who we are and what we believe is right regards innocents / non-combatants--otherwise, we become as malicious and cruel as the terrorists we seek to eliminate
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" the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. "--edmund burke
the Israelis have dealt with these sorts on a daily basis for decades--and they have survived as a nation--much like killing snakes, they prefer the surgical strikes to remove the head ( the leadership ) and work to eliminate the systemic poison that raises snakes
if terrorists could be eliminated with one surgical or one huge, all-encompassing strike then it would have been done long before now
such is not the nature of the beast--in the meantime, we must hold to who we are and what we believe is right regards innocents / non-combatants--otherwise, we become as malicious and cruel as the terrorists we seek to eliminate
The difference is, the average Palestinian is NOT going out of his/her way to kill an Israelite. They would not take their children and throw themselves over a cliff rather than have the Israelies take over their cities. That is the difference between the Palestinians of today and the Japanese of WWII. You also don't have Hamas distributing "The People's Handbook of Resistance of Occupation" to every family".
And Israel has not used a Nuclear Weapon because there would be no way to protect themselves from the radiation. Take a Look at a Map of Japan and then a map of Palestine. Tell me that there is not a logistical and topographical difference that affects how the Israelis make decisions.
Again, perspective and context.
__________________
“One day, you will be old enough to start reading fairytales again.”
C.S.Lewis
the Israelis have dealt with these sorts on a daily basis for decades--and they have survived as a nation--much like killing snakes, they prefer the surgical strikes to remove the head ( the leadership ) and work to eliminate the systemic poison that raises snakes
if terrorists could be eliminated with one surgical or one huge, all-encompassing strike then it would have been done long before now
such is not the nature of the beast--in the meantime, we must hold to who we are and what we believe is right regards innocents / non-combatants--otherwise, we become as malicious and cruel as the terrorists we seek to eliminate
The difference is, the average Palestinian is NOT going out of his/her way to kill an Israelite. They would not take their children and throw themselves over a cliff rather than have the Israelies take over their cities. That is the difference between the Palestinians of today and the Japanese of WWII. You also don't have Hamas distributing "The People's Handbook of Resistance of Occupation" to every family".
And Israel has not used a Nuclear Weapon because there would be no way to protect themselves from the radiation. Take a Look at a Map of Japan and then a map of Palestine. Tell me that there is not a logistical and topographical difference that affects how the Israelis make decisions.
Again, perspective and context.
Are you unfamiliar with the Quran? The Khalif's? Jihadists? The teachings that occur daily in every Mosque?
Please, don't kid yourself..
__________________
I drink coffee so I don't kill you.
I quilt so I don't kill you.
Do you see a theme?
Faith isn't something that keeps bad things from happening. Faith is what helps us get through bad things when they do happen.
I visited the Peace Museum in Hiroshima. One of the things I found missing was the acts that lead up to the bombing, in particular, the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Perhaps it was there, but I did not see it.
All is fair in love and war.
I don't think all is fair in war. We have war crime courts for a reason. Civilians should be left out as much as possible.
Bull. There is no such thing as "innocent" civilians in war.
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I'm not arguing, I'm just explaining why I'm right.
Well, I could agree with you--but then we'd both be wrong.
the Israelis have dealt with these sorts on a daily basis for decades--and they have survived as a nation--much like killing snakes, they prefer the surgical strikes to remove the head ( the leadership ) and work to eliminate the systemic poison that raises snakes
if terrorists could be eliminated with one surgical or one huge, all-encompassing strike then it would have been done long before now
such is not the nature of the beast--in the meantime, we must hold to who we are and what we believe is right regards innocents / non-combatants--otherwise, we become as malicious and cruel as the terrorists we seek to eliminate
The difference is, the average Palestinian is NOT going out of his/her way to kill an Israelite. They would not take their children and throw themselves over a cliff rather than have the Israelies take over their cities. That is the difference between the Palestinians of today and the Japanese of WWII. You also don't have Hamas distributing "The People's Handbook of Resistance of Occupation" to every family".
And Israel has not used a Nuclear Weapon because there would be no way to protect themselves from the radiation. Take a Look at a Map of Japan and then a map of Palestine. Tell me that there is not a logistical and topographical difference that affects how the Israelis make decisions.
Again, perspective and context.
What planet are you living on??? Palestinians ELECTED Hamas into power--not that the old PLO was much better. They absolutely sacrifice their children--either as suicide bombers and other terrorists, or as human shields to protect the weapons of Hamas.
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I'm not arguing, I'm just explaining why I'm right.
Well, I could agree with you--but then we'd both be wrong.