War: Century-old melody lingers on

On Nov. 11, we commemorated the 100th anniversary of the end of the “war to end all wars.” Sadly, it didn’t exactly work out that way, and the echoes of World War I are still heard today.

With much of Europe in ruins and debt, America became the world’s banker and keeper of the peace (sort of), which we still are today (sort of).

The armistice agreement placed harsh terms on Germany, and combined with the Great Depression resulted in an even bigger war.

The defeated Turks lost their vast Middle Eastern empire. The victors then drew arbitrary lines in the sand creating countries with little ethnic or religious unity, resulting in wars costing thousands of lives and trillions in treasure.

The Russian Revolution, a by-product of the war, spawned the Soviet Union, with which we sparred in wars both hot and cold to the brink of Armageddon.

On that day 100 years ago, the Great War ended. But the melody lingers on. Proof again that it is much easier to start a war than to end one.