Letters to the Editor, April 21

The danger of a conflict between China and Japan over islands in disputed waters, such as the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, is always possible, given the rise of militarism in both countries.

Although both nations have suffered terribly in the past because of war, history teaches us that when the suffering of past wars is forgotten, a new generation can easily revive the same militaristic ethos which led to earlier disasters.

A recent example was seen in the United States where, once the second world war and the huge losses of the Korean and Vietnam wars were behind them, the nation's political representatives supported and funded the Pentagon and its ambitious warrior class.

The result? Decades of foolish and wasteful military adventures in the Middle East that have incurred the animosity of the Muslim world, and cost more than US$1 trillion; the destruction of the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York; and the collapse of America's moral leadership in world affairs.

Why should we be shocked or surprised?

This reality has been repeated for centuries by all the great powers and empires - Britain, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Japan and Germany, and it will eventually be repeated by China as rash and ambitious PLA warriors continue to dream of "glorious victories".