Blog #9 Erin Holbrook

One could argue that there is never a time for war. One would have a good argument. War is nothing but destructive. Thousands are killed in conflict. Resentments over a war lead to dangerous conflict for several years to come. And rarely, if ever, is the end result a positive solution to the initial problem. The bigger group with the most guns wins. Not the right group, not the smart group, not even the group representing the majority of a population.

What does it say about an advanced civilization that we still solve disputes with war? To decide who is in the right, to decide who deserves to make the rules, we say who is best at forcing the other to comply? We live in a civilization that comprehends why war is wrong. We know that logic, reasoning, and compromise is the better route to solving a dispute. We have the academic and technological abilities to replace the primitive war with better problem solving methods- at least in theory. Yet war is still the primary way to get things done. Want a change of power? Fight for it. Rebels dispute my rule? Fight them. Still the budget for warfare is the most demanding and least disputed aspect of the US National Government. We become more and more advanced and nothing changes.

If it were as easy as it sounds to end all war, we probably would have done it. In fact we've tried. One treaty- the Kellogg Briand Pact- was signed in the 1900's as a declaration to end all war. Many countries signed it. The treaty was just a promise though, and promises are easily broken. It wasn't long before someone did go to war and the treaty became worthless. We also tried to create the League of Nations and it's more successful replacement the United Nations. Today people across the world are much more at peace than they once were, and diplomacy is often used. But war still persists, as there will always be someone who can't or won't operate by diplomacy, and attempts force instead.

So while a world without war sounds wonderful, there will probably never be a time for it here on earth. Solving problems by force is human nature, from playground squabbles to everything else. That isn't going to change anytime soon, however much we might hope for it.