Retired Israeli General Warns Against False Sense of Security
Retired Major General Gershon Hacohen argues that Israel's reliance on maintaining 'closed' military fronts is more dangerous than acknowledging ongoing conflicts. He suggests this approach stems from a broader human desire for stability and a false sense of control, which can lead to an illusion of security.
Hacohen points to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, intended to limit Hezbollah's presence south of the Litani River in Lebanon. He notes that neither the Lebanese army, UN forces, nor even Israel, due to fears of escalation, effectively enforced it, highlighting the fragility of such arrangements. The events of October 7, 2023, he states, demonstrated the severe cost of this illusion.
He further contends that governing a state and military based on predictable trajectories is perilous in a constantly shifting reality. Hacohen draws a parallel to a recent incident where desalination plants halted due to an accident, reminding Israelis that technological advancements do not eliminate all vulnerabilities. This disruption, he notes, could have devastated crops in the western Negev and led to a severe water shortage.
The author cites examples of major failures in developed nations, including the tsunami in Japan, Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, and the 9/11 attacks, to illustrate that even advanced societies are susceptible to catastrophic events. He references philosopher Paul Virilio's concept of 'integral accidents,' where increased reliance on interconnected technological systems amplifies the risk of widespread failure.
Hacohen concludes that the interconnectedness of global systems, such as the impact of actions in the Strait of Hormuz on the global economy and the challenges faced by the U.S. in maintaining the post-WWII world order amidst conflict with Iran, underscores the unpredictability of reality. Therefore, he maintains, reality cannot be considered definitively predictable.
