Written by Robert Douglas   

The History Channel recently broadcast an insightful series on The World Wars that sought to put into context the insanity that shaped much of the 20th century. By treating the two wars as part of the same ongoing conflict, it showed how unresolved issues never go away and can, in fact, get worse if left to fester.

It also showed how humans have a curious capacity to rationalize irrational behavior that runs counter to logic and any moral code we purportedly embrace.

One strand of the narrative told how the Nazi menace emerged in response to the repressive conditions the Allies imposed on Germany to settle World War I.

Another, how the Nazis designated the Jews as scapegoats for much that was wrong with the world they sought dominate, thus justifying a Jewish genocide with the acquiescence of a general German populace.

The images of the death camps and the stories of individuals who survived the Holocaust haunt many of us to this day. And I for one can never forgive the cruelty of those who perpetrated horrific war crimes. Nor can I forget that many Germans indulged evil in their midst. I find it hard to buy either ignorance or fear as a credible excuse.

But I can understand how people can live in a state of denial about war crimes committed presumably on their behalf. Apparently, too few of us watch the History Channel or too many of us missed the high school history class where we were taught those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.

Two cases in point:

 Many Americans went along with George Bush when he invaded Iraq in response to the 9-11 terrorist attacks as a part of his War on Terror — even though that country was no threat to American security and the invasion was essentially a boondoggle for oil interests and defense contractors. Rather than being greeted as liberators for the action that we were told would be short-lived, the war has dragged on for years and cost thousands of lives, billions of dollars and cast Americans as the real Evil Doers throughout much of the Middle East.

 Many Israelis support their government’s policies that keep Palestinians in what has ironically been likened to concentration camp-like conditions. Such treatment justified, Israel believes, because some Palestinian political leaders oppose recognizing the very existence of a Jewish state on land they feel the international community expropriated from them -- largely to make amends for the Holocaust.

History has taught us very little since the end of World War I. And what’s worse, we seem to be entering an Orwellian future where media apparatchiks dutifully spin and re-spin what will become tomorrow’s history on a daily basis to serve the agenda of the corporate Elite.

As a result, history is dead and a guide for avoiding past geopolitical mistakes. And I must admit I only found The World Wars series on the History Channel by personal mistake. I was really looking for one the network’s more popular programs -- Pawn Stars.
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Robert Douglas is a former union official and former business editor for The Palm Beach Post and Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. You can contact him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or go to http://t.co/rYbU0VkbaA