The “dogs of war” are the political and societal restraints against war that operate during times of peace.
In a literal reading, “dogs” are the familiar animals, trained for warfare; “havoc” is a military order permitting the seizure of spoil after a victory; and “let slip” is to release from the leash.
William Shakespeare’s source for Julius Caesar was The Life of Marcus Brutus, wherein in one scene, Mark Antony is alone with Julius Caesar’s body, shortly after Caesar’s assassination, he reveals his intention to incite the crowd at Caesar’s funeral to rise up against the assassins, saying: “raging for revenge, shall in these confines with a Monarch’s voice cry ‘Havoc!’ and let slip the dogs of war.”
Fast forward, we witnessed from trimedia reports, the developments occurring in the current Russia-Ukraine War, wherein as reported, aside from its territorial expansion, economic interests were also a motive for Russia’s attack on Ukraine, and its annexation of the southeast.
Control of lithium deposits in the Donbas, and Ukraine’s grain wealth would give Russia a “monopoly on the world market”.
Will the current negotiations end the Russia- Ukraine War soon? As its escalation only brings even more suffering and devastation to Ukraine, while risking an unimaginably worse WWIII/nuclear war with Russia.
Another dangerous recent event is the attack of Israel on Iran’s military and nuclear sites, seeing Iran as an existential threat, and accusing Iran of harboring genocidal intentions; Iran, on the other hand, has accused Israel of conducting genocide in Gaza.
Consequently, Israel has sought sanctions and military action against Iran to stop it from acquiring nuclear weapons.
The surprise Palestinian attack on Oct. 7, 2023 was met with Israeli retaliatory strikes, and Israel formally declared war on Hamas and its allies most notably Russia and Iran, which reportedly assisted Hamas with planning the attack, threatening Israel to immediately stop the war on Gaza.
Russia, and to a lesser extent, China, have launched a disinformation campaign against Israel, Ukraine – which condemned the attacks – and their main ally, the United States.
The Institute for Strategic Dialogue’s report singled out Iranian accounts on Facebook and X that glorified the crimes of Hamas, and encouraged more violence against Israeli civilians.
Iran also accused Israel and the United States of committing war crimes in Gaza.
Amidst the war, the Houthi insurgent group extended the conflict’s reach by launching missile attacks directed towards Israeli territory.
Iranian media reported disruptions at 60 percent of gas stations across the country after a cyberattack by the hacktivist group Predatory Sparrow.
Iran retaliated against the attack with missile and drone strikes in Israel, while Israel launched a series of retaliatory missile strikes on Iranian military sites.
Iranian officials have also reported explosions at military sites in Syria and Iraq.
Iran is the third-largest producer in oil cartel OPEC, so there is an urgent concern about rising oil prices.
“In war, there are no winners, only widows” — which means that while countries may claim victory in a war, the human cost is immense and devastating. Let us pray for world peace.
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Author’s email: whelmayap@yahoo.com
