A World on Fire: Breaking the Cycle of Endless Wars

MILITARISM, 3 Nov 2025

Vijay Mehta – TRANSCEND Media Service

Introduction

“A World on Fire: Breaking the Cycle of Endless Wars”, is no metaphorical flourish. It is the starkest description of our shared reality. Across continents, flames of war scorch the earth, devour homes, uproot families, and spread despair. From Gaza to Ukraine, from Sudan to Yemen, from the scars of Iraq to the silent traumas of Afghanistan — our world burns. And in many ways, the fire is not accidental. It is fed — by greed, by nationalism, by the relentless pursuit of power, and by the machinery of militarism that thrives on human suffering for material gain and profit.

The current global landscape in 2025 is marked with unprecedented level of violence. The world is marked by deepening instability, rising military spending, renewed nuclear tensions and emerging technological threats. Global military spending is at all time high, arms control treaties are faltering and new technologies are transforming the warfare faster than regulations can adapt. The convergence of nuclear rearmament, great power competition and emerging tech militarisation signals a profound challenge to international stability.

The price of war is a lost son, a widowed daughter, an orphaned child, a maimed brother and a broken family. At the core of the modern world, lies the interconnected a relation of money, power and military might, shaping the policies that govern the world including ongoing wars. So what shall we do to change it around?

How to lament the fires? How do we break this cycle? How do we not merely put out the flames, but prevent the sparks from ever catching again?

Understanding the Cycle of Endless Wars

To break a cycle, we must first see it clearly. Endless war does not simply happen — it is manufactured.

1. The Political Dimension
   Wars are often justified in the name of security, democracy, or freedom. Yet more often than not, they serve the interests of power — of states seeking dominance, of leaders clinging to control, of alliances manoeuvring for advantage. The language of fear is weaponised: “If we do not fight them there, we will face them here.” This narrative ensures wars do not end — they only shift locations. The establishment – media elites, politicians, military manufacture a climate of fear constantly beating the drums of war.
2. The Economic Dimension
   War is also business. Military budgets swell, weapons contracts multiply, arms dealers flourish. In 2025, global military spending surpassed $2.7 trillion — the highest in history. Imagine, for a moment, if even half of that were redirected toward education, healthcare, renewable energy, or global poverty eradication. But the arms trade is not only profitable; it is cyclical. Weapons are sold, conflicts are stoked, destruction ensues, and then weapons are sold again. It is a self-sustaining fire leading to the creation of a circular economy.
3. The Psychological Dimension
   Endless wars are sustained by narratives: us versus them, good versus evil, civilisation versus barbarism. Such simplifications flatten the complexities of human life and make empathy impossible. War is easier to justify when we stop seeing our opponents as fully human. The “othering” of peoples — whether by race, religion, or nationality — has always been the matchstick for war.

And thus, the cycle spins: fear fuels militarisation, militarisation fuels conflict, conflict fuels profit, and profit fuels propaganda.

The Human and Environmental Costs

But behind the abstractions are lives — broken, displaced, lost.

• Every war leaves graves that stretch across generations.
• Every war leaves scars in the psyche of children who grow up amid gunfire.
• Every war leaves ecosystems poisoned, cities uninhabitable, and futures stolen.

Consider this: in Syria, after more than a decade of war, the life expectancy has dropped by 13 years. In Yemen, a child under five dies every 10 minutes from preventable war-related causes. In Ukraine, millions of refugees — mostly women and children — face winters without homes.

And the Earth itself bears wounds: oil fields set ablaze, farmlands scorched, rivers contaminated, forests destroyed. War is not only against people — it is against the planet.

If climate change is the great existential challenge of our time, then war is its twin destroyer. One accelerates the other. Together, they place humanity at the brink.

Breaking the Cycle

So how do we resist? How do we not simply analyse the fire, but extinguish it — permanently?

1. New Paradigm for Peace
   In a new paradigm for building peace programme envisions a holistic long term, nationally led and institution-based peace building, coordinated with policies and backed by stable funding is the answer. It should be integrated as peace governance like Departments for Peace in every nation’s development framework. Peacebuilding should be a core element of governance worldwide as the expected returns for every $1 invested in peacebuilding yields $15-$103 according to International Monetary Fund Report 2024. In 2019, in my book How Not To Go To War, I have advocated for the establishment of the Ministry or Department for Peace with a minister for Peace and Disarmament at the cabinet level, who will use diplomacy, Culture of Peace, non-violence and conflict resolution for ending conflicts.
2. Reclaiming Imagination
   Breaking the cycle begins with imagination. Wars continue because too many believe they are inevitable. But history proves otherwise. Once, slavery was seen as natural, apartheid as permanent, colonialism as unshakable. Yet movements of ordinary people broke those systems. We must dare to imagine a future without war — and insist upon it.
3. Shifting Resources
   Every bomb dropped is a school not built, a hospital not funded, a renewable energy project abandoned. Reallocating military budgets to human development is not naive — it is the most rational path for survival. Movements such as the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) have already shown how citizen-led advocacy can shift global treaties and reframe the debate.
4. Building Diplomacy and Dialogue
   We must invest as much energy in peace talks as we do in war strategies. In Northern Ireland, in South Africa, in Liberia — we have seen how dialogue, when pursued with patience and courage, can end what once seemed endless. Wars end not when one side achieves victory, but when both sides recognise their shared humanity.
5. Elevating Voices Too Often Ignored
   Women, youth, Indigenous peoples — those most impacted by war are too often excluded from peace negotiations. Yet studies consistently show that when women are at the peace table, agreements are more durable. When youth are empowered, cycles of violence weaken. When Indigenous perspectives are included, stewardship of land and life becomes central. Breaking the cycle requires inclusion, not tokenism.
6. Holding Power to Account
   Endless wars thrive because accountability is rare. Leaders launch wars without facing consequences. Arms companies profit without scrutiny. Media outlets amplify propaganda without responsibility. Media’s adversarial journalism fuel dirty wars, enable genocide, manufacture consent for wars and atrocities committed. To break the cycle, citizens must demand transparency, justice, and truth. Independent journalism and courageous whistleblowers are not luxuries — they are lifelines.

Stories of Hope

Let us remember: history is not only filled with wars. It is also filled with peacebuilders who bent the arc.

• In Liberia, Leymah Gbowee led a women’s movement that ended 14 years of civil war. With prayer, song, and nonviolent protest, they forced men to the negotiating table.
• In Colombia, after 50 years of armed conflict, civil society helped push forward a peace accord, showing that even the longest wars can bend.
• In South Africa, Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu demonstrated that reconciliation, not revenge, can heal a nation.

And closer to today: across war-torn regions, we see doctors who heal, teachers who teach in ruins, activists who risk prison for peace, journalists who tell inconvenient truths. Each of these acts is a small flame — not of destruction, but of resistance and renewal.

The Role of Movements

Peace is not delivered by the powerful — it is demanded by the people. From anti-nuclear marches in Europe, to Black Lives Matter protests in the U.S., to youth climate strikes or Global Week for Future across the globe — the common thread is clear: ordinary citizens refusing to accept the status quo.

As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.” Our chisels must be solidarity, education, activism, and imagination.

Conclusion: A Call to Action

The world is on fire — but fire can be contained. Fire can be extinguished. And fire, when transformed, can even give warmth and light.

We are not powerless. The cycle of endless wars is not fate — it is choice. And choices can be unmade.

And let us remember the words of the poet Pablo Neruda, who once wrote: “You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep spring from coming.”

The wars of today are brutal, but they are not eternal. The fire may rage, but spring will come. If, together, we choose it.

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Vijay Mehta is an author and peace activist. He is chair of Uniting for Peace, founding trustee of Fortune Forum charity, and board member of GAMIP-Global Alliance for Ministries and Infrastructures for Peace. His books include: The Economics of Killing (Pluto Press, 2012); Peace Beyond Borders (New Internationalist, 2016; and the most recent How Not To Go To War (New Internationalist, 2019) where he proposes that in countries and communities, in governments, private institutions and media, Peace Departments and Peace Centres be established to report on and promote peace.

This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 3 Nov 2025.

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