Sydney Smith (Blog #9)

War is a very complex and often divisive issue. People have radically different opinions on war; some people may believe that war is ALWAYS necessary, while others may believe that war is NEVER necessary. I, on the other hand, fall somewhere in between these two camps.

I believe that some wars are necessary- for independence, to rid an area of an oppressive dictator, to overthrow a corrupt government, etc. These wars can be good. However, many wars are caused by either a lack of communication or greed/ ambition. The leaders of a country want to have as much land as possible, so they just attack everyone until they get what they want. I don't think that kind of war is acceptable.

Lots of people die in wars, so we need to be ABSOLUTELY sure that war is the necessary next step before we begin to engage in it. We need to make sure that we have pure intentions, that there is no other option, and that we are willing to make the sacrifice. Then we can start fighting.