American philosopher William James posed a pertinent question in a lecture, saying: 'War sharpens energies and extracts from man in the battlefield the best he can give: comradeship, support, zeal, and self-sacrifice. Should we not cultivate these qualities without fighting on battlefields and igniting destructive wars? So we fight idleness and laxity. His answer was: We must invent a moral equivalent of war within our societies, that is, peaceful battles that employ the same virtues and mobilize the same energies, without experiencing war and its horrors.'

The soldier in battle is a model of sacrifice, evident in his activity, dedication to duty, earnest pursuit of victory, and his eagerness to help a comrade and rescue him from death or capture by the enemy. This is clearly seen in the concerted efforts to protect a pilot forced to eject over enemy territory—a collective effort embodying the spirit of sacrifice, involving fighter jets, helicopters, and special forces in a swift, precise plan to rescue him before the enemy arrives and captures him. But can we create that spirit in peacetime? That is the goal, and the way is to create battles for construction, entering a race with other nations to achieve further progress and acquire power, driven by a clear vision from top leadership that translates into plans, programs, and goals involving all sectors. After World War II, we saw how Japan, after its defeat, abandoned the military doctrine of expansion and war, transforming into a civilian state that directed the serious energies of the Japanese people toward construction. America, the victorious power, imposed on Japan system reform, defining powers and distributing them among the three branches of government, and initiating industrialization with a focus on exports and total quality management led by Americans Dr. Deming and Dr. Juran. Thus, the battle with the West became economic, characterized by invading their markets with quality goods. Similarly, the Asian Tigers, notably Singapore and its leader Lee Kuan Yew, proved to the world that progress depends not on natural resources, area, or population, but on the influence, determination, and firmness of leadership in guiding its people toward battles of construction. His weapon for achieving the progress that Singapore enjoys to this day was building the individual through excellent education, instilling values of work and patriotism, fighting corruption, caring for the environment, seeking future leaders, training them, charting special paths for them, and empowering them. He made the people partners, focusing on increasing home ownership so citizens feel a greater sense of belonging. Among the most successful examples in battles of construction is China's transformation after 1978, when Chinese leadership under Deng Xiaoping abandoned communist ideology, opened up to the world, and launched his inspiring sayings and programs that became a roadmap for subsequent Chinese governments, including fighting poverty and focusing on development—the solid foundation that replaced party ideology. He proclaimed, 'Reform is the steady revolution in China,' declared that science and technology are the most important productive forces and a fundamental pillar of economic development, and famously said, 'It doesn't matter whether a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice.' These sayings embody the development path China follows to this day. Working in silence was among his key recommendations, along with winning the war by preparing for it without fighting it—a principle advocated by Chinese strategic theorist and philosopher Sun Tzu 2,500 years ago.

Today, the Middle East is undergoing radical transformations led by Saudi Arabia under its leadership, which combines experience and ambitious young leadership, embodied in Vision 2030, which with its programs and targets has changed most economic, political, and military activities, and transformed society into a construction and participation society, so that the Kingdom has become a model to be emulated for progress and prosperity. Some countries are now steering their compass toward development and economy, including GCC countries, Jordan, and Syria, and other countries will follow this march soon, God willing, so that the wars and battles of the Middle East turn into battles of construction, cooperation, and reform, with a focus on economy and development, making every citizen a productive worker enjoying quality of life, engaging with the government in its battles against drugs and their causes, against all types of corruption, and contributing to combating diseases at their inception. The battles of construction and reform never end as long as there is conscious leadership that plans and executes, and an educated people with high morale, and let us remember the English proverb: 'Where there is a will, there is a way.'