100 years after its end, the lessons of WWI still need to be learned

SUNDAY MARKS THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY of the armistice of World War I. The People’s Liberation Army Daily comments:

Today, as the world faces uncertainties and challenges from populism, protectionism as well as unilateralism, it is more important than ever to learn the lessons from that period in history. In order to cope with these challenges and ensure a peaceful, prosperous future for human kind, it is necessary and urgent for all nations around the world to insist on dialogue, cooperation, and multilateralism.

It should be remembered that Nov 11, 1918 did not bring peace to human kind, and the World Anti-Fascist War began only 13 years later. It was only after the end of hostilities in 1945 that people could start to build a postwar system intended to prevent such bloodshed from happening again.

Europe, which was the main battlefield during WWI, faces difficulties brought by the debt crisis and the inflow of refugees. These crises might be coming to an end, but they have already divided people in European countries, which in turn has curbed the integration process aimed at preventing another European war and cast a shadow over the future of the European Union.

WWI was not the war to end all wars as some believed, people are still suffering from the agonies of war today in many parts of the world. In other parts, people are ignorant about the devastation of war and are rather cold to the suffering of others.

In certain countries, protectionism, isolationism, as well as conservatism are rising. Prejudice and hate could still lead to conflicts.

That highlights the importance of balance and tolerance, which keep globalization on the right track. The whole international community must learn from the past wrongs, cherish the current peace, insist on solving problems through dialogue and improve global governance so as to ensure peace for all humankind.