Balancing War and Peace

Balancing War and Peace

The most controversial topic is, arguably, war. Every person has an opinion on whether his country, or even other countries, should wage a war. Talk shows devote a large amount of discussion to this debate. Should Israel declare war on the Palestinians is the current hot topic. People will even argue about whether a war should have even been waged, such as the current United States-Iraq conflict. It is interesting to note that there is rarely a discussion of the gains of fighting a war, rather the focus is almost solely on the losses that the war will bring. While it is not my intention to minimize the losses, which usually are of human lives, the question that should be deliberated is what are the gains of war and peace, as it encompasses every detail that should be pondered.

The losses that a war engenders are quite obvious. There is always lives that are lost, and the lost of one life is reason enough to back away from a military encounter. Civilian land and property will inevitably be destroyed. There is also emotional trauma that will affect the young children that should make a hawkish person think twice before agreeing to combat. Yet, there is another side to the coin. Generally, a war is waged with good intentions in mind. The combatants usually fight for a freedom. In the Revolutionary War, it was a war for freedom of religion and taxation without representation. It was a war for freedom to live life as they desired to live it. The Vietnam War was fought for freedom from communism, and life under an authoritarian. It is unfortunate that sacrifices are necessary, but they are, in most cases, unavoidable. Even in imperialistic wars, there is a gain. The acquisition of new land will benefit the owners. They will have more resources which can lead to a healthy robust economy. When these issues are taken into account, avoiding a war might be ridiculous. "No pain, no gain" seems an appropriate quote for this argument.

A second issue that is discussed is that of peace. Everyone dreams about, longs and prays for world peace. In a perfect world, no one would fight and everybody would get along with one another. The fact is that this is not the case. There are many peace-loving nations, but there are many others who refuse to get along. They would like things to be done their way. "My way or highway!" is their motto. They are unreasonable people who cannot