AS FILIPINOS become more exposed to geopolitical questions because of “regional concerns”, they should read books and articles on the topic, and one of the best is Thucydides’ the Peloponnesian War.
The book was written as a historical account of the war, with particular emphasis on realism as opposed to a poetic, moralistic or propagandistic account.
Take for example the Melian Dialogue, one of the best parts of the book. It concerns the diplomatic exchange between Melos, a relatively small state, and Athens, one of the key players in the Peloponnesian War.
In the Dialogue, the Melians argued that Athens was unlawful in its threats against Melos, and that the Gods were on their side.
Athens argued that the “Strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must.”
To make the long story short, Melos refused to be vassalized by Athens and the latter razed it to the ground, slaughtered its populace and enslaved the rest.
The lesson behind the Melian Dialogue and Thucydides’ book in general is this: In the realm between states, there are no laws of good and evil. There is only the exercise of power, that and self-interest. Appeals to diplomacy, treaties, international law, morality, etc… matter only in as much as they serve power and self-interest.
Some people may find this a bitter way of looking at the world but Thucydides attempted to be as realistic and truthful as possible. If he were to advice the Philippine government now, I believe he would advise us not to put too much stock on international law or old treaties, to trust our allies only as far as their self-interests coincides with ours, and to seek power above all else, because the Peloponnesian war was not special.
Conflict is the norm in human affairs. It has existed before and will continue to exist in the near future, and we should regard questions of geopolitics, not in terms of law and morality, but rather in how they actually are./PN
