War Or Peace?

By Phillip W. Long M.D.

(Psychiatrist)

Paranoid Personality Disorder

Three behaviors form the core of Paranoid Personality Disorder:

Mistrust of Friends Doubts the loyalty or trustworthiness

of friends or associates

Bearing Grudges Bears grudges; seldom forgives

others’ mistakes

Feeling Victimized Feels exploited or victimized; seldom

expresses gratitude

Healthy people trust their friends, are forgiving, and freely express praise and gratitude.

Paranoid Leaders

Historically, all of the world’s most murderous leaders exhibited Paranoid Personality Disorder

Mistrust They promoted a culture of fear

in which no one was trusted

Hatred They promoted hatred of a

common “enemy” to gain political power

Feeling Victimized They convinced their followers

that they were the “victims” of a global conspiracy of evil

These leaders established totalitarian regimes which dealt ruthlessly with any of their citizens that opposed them.

Paranoid Leaders

They foster mistrust “Our country is now geared to an

arms economy bred in an artificially induced psychosis of war hysteria and an incessant propaganda of fear.” (General Douglas MacArthur)

They foster hatred “In order to rally people,

governments need enemies. They want us to be afraid, to hate, so we will rally behind them.” (Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk)

They want you to feel victimized “Every war when it comes, or before it

comes, is represented not as a war but as an act of self-defense against a homicidal maniac.” (George Orwell)

Paranoia Cycles Out Of Control

Individuals with Paranoid Personality Disorder become trapped in a vicious cycle:

Feeling victimized by an “enemy” leads to …

Wanting revenge against the “enemy” which leads to …

• A preemptive attack against the “enemy” which leads to …

• A defensive counter-attack from the “enemy” which leads to …

• Feeling more victimized (which further escalates this vicious cycle)

Paranoia Has Killed Millions

Leaders with Paranoid Personality Disorder eventually destroy millions of innocent civilians:

Hitler brought about the Holocaust which killed 6 million Jews and millions of other innocent minorities.

Stalin brought about the death of 20-60 million people as a direct result of his tyrannical rule.

Mao Tse-Tung brought about the death of more than 70 million people – during peacetime.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Three behaviors form the core of Narcissistic Personality Disorder:

Arrogance Is arrogant or proud; feels superior to

others

Domineering Behavior Is domineering or dictatorial; has a

bossy way of ordering others around

Greed Is selfishly greedy; wants to possess

much more than what he/she needs or deserves

Healthy people are humble, democratic, and unselfish.

Narcissistic Leaders

Historically, many tyrants exhibited Narcissistic Personality Disorder:

Arrogance They were very arrogant and

proud

Domineering Behavior They were dictatorial and

autocratic

Greed They monopolized their nation’s

power and wealth

Usually they exhibit both Paranoid and Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

Narcissistic Leaders

Benito Mussolini (1883-1945)

Arrogance “This is the epitaph I want on my

tomb: ‘Here lies one of the most intelligent animals who ever appeared on the face of the earth.’”

Domineering Behavior “It is necessary to be very intelligent

in the work of repression. All opposition journals have been suppressed and all the anti-fascist leaders dissolved.”

Greed “Either the government will be given

to us or we shall seize it by marching on Rome.”

Antisocial Personality Disorder

Three behaviors form the core of Antisocial Personality Disorder:

Intolerance Is judgmental or prejudiced; doesn’t

respect the beliefs and practices of others

Irresponsibility or Dishonesty Doesn’t take responsibility for own

actions; is dishonest; lies, cheats, or steals

Manipulativeness Selfishly or unethically manipulates

others for his/her own advantage

Healthy people are tolerant, responsible, honest, and don’t unethically exploit others.

Antisocial Leaders

Historically, the most ruthless world leaders had Antisocial Personality Disorder:

Intolerance They persecuted their minorities

and permitted genocides.

Irresponsibility or Dishonesty They habitually lied to their

citizens as their friends looted their nation’s wealth.

Manipulativeness They constantly manipulated

others for their own unethical advantage.

Antisocial Leaders

Adolf Hitler (1889-1945)

Intolerance “I do not see why man should

not be just as cruel as nature.” “Humanitarianism is the

expression of stupidity and cowardice.”

Irresponsibility or Dishonesty “If you tell a big enough lie and

tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.”

Manipulativeness “I have not come into this world

to make men better, but to make use of their weaknesses.”

Bad World Leaders

Historically, the worst world leaders had a combination of Paranoid + Narcissistic + Antisocial Personality Disorders.

Their behavior exhibited: Mistrust Hatred Feeling constantly the “victim”

Arrogance Dictatorial behavior Greed

Intolerance Dishonesty Manipulativeness

Good World Leaders

Good world leaders don’t have Paranoid, Narcissistic or Antisocial Personality Disorders.

Thus the behavior of a good world leader exhibits:

Trust and consensus-building Forgiveness and reconciliation Intelligence that doesn’t simplistically

portray all problems as just “good vs. evil”

Treating other nations as equals Democratic decision-making Generosity in sharing resources

Tolerance for different beliefs Honesty in government Ethical behavior (without manipulating

the weak)

Constant War

Currently nations are squandering our planet’s limited resources on endless war.

“The Department of Defense is the behemoth...With an annual budget larger than the gross domestic product of Russia, it is an empire.” (The 9/11 Commission Report)

The $500 billion spent so far on the war in Iraq could feed all of the poor of Africa for decades.

Many world leaders have obvious personality disorders that prevent them from finding non-military solutions to the world’s problems.

Time Is Running Out

Global warming is here, and it could trigger a “melt down” of the world’s global economy in our lifetime due to:

Increased drought Increased flooding Increased storms Decreased productivity of the

world’s ocean fisheries Destruction of coastal cities by

hurricanes and flooding

Meanwhile, our world leaders stumble towards World War III

There Is A Solution

We must not follow leaders with obvious Personality Disorders, especially leaders that are:

Paranoid Narcissistic Antisocial (i.e., sociopathic)

The core feature of these severe Personality Disorders is their unethical behavior.

Thus the solution to this problem is to insist on ethical behavior from our world leaders.

Ethical Behavior Ethical behavior is based on the “Golden

Rule” (that we should treat others the way we want others to treat us) as proposed by:

Ancient China: “What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.” (Confucius 551 BC - 479 BC)

Ancient Greece: “Do not do to others what angers you if done to you by others.” (Socrates 469 BC - 399 BC)

Jewish Religion: “What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow men.” (The Talmud)

Hindu Religion: “This is the sum of duty: do naught to others which if done to thee would cause thee pain.” (The Mahabharata)

Buddhist Religion: “Hurt not others with that which pains yourself.” (Udana-Varga)

Christianity: “Do to others what you would have them do to you.” (Matthew 7:12)

Islam: “No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself.” (Hadith)

Ethics & Freedom

Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865) “Those who would deny freedom to

others deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, cannot long retain it.”

“… all men are created free and equal.”

“I am for those means which will give the greatest good to the greatest number.”

Ethics & Nonviolence

Mahatma Gandhi (1869 – 1948) “I object to violence because when it

appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.”

“What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?”

“An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

Ethics & Character

Sir Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965) “All great things are simple, and many

can be expressed in single words: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.”

“We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give. ”

“The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable

events.”

Ethics & Intelligence

Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955) “I know not with what weapons World

War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”

“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.”

“You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war.”

“Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.”

“Nothing will end war unless the people themselves refuse to go to war.”

Ethics & Disarmament

Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890 – 1969) “Every gun that is made, every

warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.”

“In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”

Ethics & Peace

John F. Kennedy (1917 – 1963) “Mankind must put an end to war or

war will put an end to mankind.”

“The basic problems facing the world today are not susceptible to a military solution.”

“Overwhelming nuclear strength cannot stop a guerrilla war.”

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”

Ethics & Brotherhood

Rev. Martin Luther King (1929 – 1968)

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

“Life's most urgent question is: What are you doing for others?”

“Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.”

“One who condones evils is just as guilty as the one who perpetrates it.”

How Do They March Us To War?

World leaders with severe Personality Disorders are incapable of maintaining a world of mutual trust and respect. Instead, they create a world of fear and hate.

These leaders are: Paranoid: they tell us that we are the

victims of a global menace; hence must go to war to fight on the side of God/good vs. Satan/evil

Narcissistic: they tell us that our way of life is far superior to our enemies, and that we should occupy their land

Antisocial: they tell us that war, even preemptive war, is unavoidable and necessary

Is The War In Iraq Justified? President Jimmy Carter recently stated:

“The preeminent criterion for a just war is that it can only be waged as a last resort, with all non-violent options exhausted.”

[Yet the US invaded Iraq] “… with our own national security not directly threatened and despite the overwhelming opposition of most people and governments in the world”.

“[In a just war] weapons used in war must discriminate between combatants and non-combatants.”

“[Yet] a respected British medical journal, Lancet, has reported that allied forces (especially the air force) have killed a hundred thousand Iraqi noncombatants.”

“[In a just war] violence used in the war must be proportional to the injury suffered.”

“[Yet] despite Saddam Hussein’s other serious crimes, American efforts to tie Iraq to the 9/11 terrorist attacks have been unconvincing.”

Is The War In Iraq Justified? President Jimmy Carter recently stated:

“[In a just war] the attackers must have legitimate authority sanctioned by the society they profess to represent.”

“[Yet] … our announced goals are now to achieve regime change and to establish a Pax Americana in the region [Iraq], perhaps occupying the ethnically divided country for as long as a decade. For these objectives, we do not have international authority.”

“[In a just war] the peace to be established must be a clear improvement over what exists.”

“[Yet] … an overwhelming majority of Arabs did not believe that U.S. policy in Iraq was motivated by the spread of democracy in the region, and believed that the Middle East had become less democratic after the Iraq war and that Iraqis were worse off than they had been before the conflict.”

Is The War In Iraq Justified?

Recent research published in The Lancet medical journal estimated that about 655,000 people have died in Iraq as a result of the 2003 invasion.

The strength of the report is in its scientifically sound methodology.

It took a sample and then extrapolated broad results from that sample. This is a technique used in public opinion polling, for example, in predicting election results.

This civilian death toll is many times worse than the civilian death toll under Saddam Hussein’s brutal dictatorship.

Forgiveness Works

The Marshall Plan Offered Forgiveness

Immediately after World War II, Europe teetered on the brink of a general economic collapse. The US government’s Marshall Plan (1947-53) saved Europe from economic collapse by generously giving $13.6 billion to rebuild the European economy. Germany was forgiven and not economically punished for starting WW II.

The Marshall Plan aid was all economic, it did not include military aid.

No Forgiveness For Iraq The US military budget for the War in

Iraq now is more than $500 billion. Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, its

economy and cities have been in collapse. Life in Iraq is now hell for civilians, and it

appears that the US military prefers a civil war rather than an armed insurgency against the US occupation.

Which World Do You Want?