I have written on this blog before about the impact that fighting has on people – how violent acts create a violent culture that spreads within society. This is aside of course from what it actually does to the victims.

Now there are news reports about what war does do the perpetrators. A survey suggests that 10 per cent of Britain’s prison population is made up of ex-servicemen. Whether this is to do with the actual traumatic experience of combat or the methods of training and induction the armed forces use is not clear. (It could of course be because the people who want to serve in the armed forces are also the people who are most predisposed to commit crimes.)

There is more and more evidence that war is not a simple, clean course of action that can easily be embarked upon by politicians in pursuit of a favourable headline. Its consequences are far-reaching and long-lasting and every effort should be made to find an alternative way to resolve international conflicts.