On War

War is good. Wait—let me rephrase that: War is the greatest atrocity committed by humankind, but it is more capable of altering the lives of millions of people than any other method. Given these extremes, armed conflict should necessarily be the last possible option, reserved for when the “diplomatic solutions” are impossible. Too often, however, leaders of nations do not negotiate. If you made a Venn diagram where the circles were intolerance, power and greed, the people who cause wars would be in the middle.

In the past, wars were fought for territory: British vs. Native Americans, Spanish vs. Moors, Babylonians vs. Assyrians, you name it. This mindset has faded over the most recent century; now it’s unacceptable to “land-grab.” In present times, the accepted purpose for war has shifted from a territorial one to a moral one. For better or for worse, the United States has led that paradigmatic revolution. We would not stand for Hitler’s injustice in Europe or the evil(?) of Communism in East Asia.

Therefore, there is a time and place for war—despite its atrocities—but only when the world is made a safer, more just place by it.