Many wars have been fought over land, wealth, and women, but are the tangible spoils of war really what humans wage war to attain. In Homer's The Iliad, Achilles and Agamemnon argue over what should be done about the curse that Apollo has inflicted on the Achaean army. The obvious answer to the problem would be Agamemnon returning the daughter of Apollo's priest. However, he states that he deserves to keep her as his prize and that if he must return her, he deserves to take the prize girl of Achilles. Achilles refuses. Why are both men so stubborn about keeping there women? Is it because they actually care about the women themselves?
No. the answer is power. By taking a women from the Trojans, Agamemnon has asserted his power over them, and in turn, by demanding to have Achilles women, he is attempting to assert his dominance over Achilles. However, Achilles like Agamemnon has a large ego. He refuses to give up his power to Agamemnon. He would rather draw out of the war than see Agamemnon win the dispute.
Similar ego battles occur in the real world. Israel and Palestine have been fighting for what they each consider to be holy land for decades. Although the battle may have begun in an earnest attempt to capture Jerusalem, it has turned into a fight for power, similar to that of Achilles and Agamemnon. In an article in The Khaleej Times, a paper published in the United Arab Emirates, talks about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It quotes Mira Al Hussein, a Dubai based writer as saying,"Any land belongs to God. I don't think people go to war for land and resources. They go to war for ego and foolish pride. This is my personal opinion. I don't think they are fighting for land as much as they are fighting for ego."
The majority of the non-radicals of each of the two sides would agree with this statement. Both Islam and Judaism preach peace and the love of God for all people, yet Palestine and Israel continue to fight for land. Or so they claim. In reality, the real battle is for power and dominance.
Why do we as humans fight because of our egos? It is within human nature to want to have power and control. War is a time tried method of asserted one's dominance. Why? Because if one's enemy no longer exists or voluntarily suurenders, one can claim complete power.
