Napoleon said that an Army marches on its stomach. So what’s the connection between food and war?
Most wars are about ideology, nationalism or territory. Very often the reason for conflict over territory is to do with growing food. There might be a fight to gain richer soil, easier access to water or better grazing for cattle. In ancient times, nomadic tribes moved from one place to another in search of the best land to sustain themselves. The history of Europe is full of marauding tribes invading from the East and then settling down on greener pastures.
These tribes had a noble goal: to go in search of food for themselves and their animals. But food can also be used as a weapon in war. The museum in Kerak shows how siege was used in ancient times to starve a city into submission. Various types of medieval technology were used to break down resistance, such as catapults, battering rams and climbing towers. If the town had stored enough food, they might survive longer than those surrounding them. And armies fleeing an invader could often destroy crops to weaken the ability of the invading forces to supply their troops.
In modern times, water is often the source of tension between countries, especially if one country builds a dam or takes over the sources of water that another country depends on. Famine can often be closely linked with war: according to the New Scientist in 2006, 9 out of the 12 countries with the severest hunger were torn by civil war or violent conflict. Desertification is in danger of making this potential problem worse as good land for growing food becomes scarcer.
In cases of both conflict and shortage of food it is the ordinary person who suffers. In ancient times the poor peasant was at the mercy of kings and lords who took their men to fight in wars. A besieged town would generate suffering for everyone inside the walls, not just the fighters. In modern times, the scenes of famine in Africa are often the result of conflict or a failure to plan and provide for the whole population.
One of the aims of diplomacy is to prevent conflict and help pull people out of hunger and deprivation. So the proper management of food is yet another reason to support an Olympic truce. As hosts of the 2012 London Olympics, the UK has tabled a UN resolution at the United Nations on building a better and more peaceful world through sport. The idea of the Olympic truce goes back to ancient Greece where all wars would stop for the duration of the games in Olympia. We want to emulate that fine example.
The aim of the resolution is to underline the need for peace in modern times. And part of that peace will be to stop conflict over land and the right of access to food for all.