on the subject of war

WAR. A letter word with a profound meaning. I believe that war is a last resort--a desperate measure that should only be called upon after all other alternatives and efforts have been made to remedy the situation. War is such a dangerous concept to engage in--something we generally fear and try to avoid at all costs, but sometimes it just becomes the last hope or the one thing that can actually save us, thus making it necessary and just. The negative impacts of war can be immense, and I think the following quote from General Wesley K. Clark essentially sums up why: "War is a culture of its own, and it can undercut and ultimately destroy the cilvil societies that engage in it."

Why do we go to war? That is such a subjective and broad question with many, many answers. Sometimes our country simply must intervene on the moral grounds upon which a dictator or oppressive force in another culture must be eradicated. We can't sit idle watching a whole culture be torn apart and violated by constant wrath; it becomes a moral obligation for us to help and therefore enter a war. Take, for example, World War II. Our country really had no other alternative than to enter it because it was absolutely necessary to stop Hitler from taking over all of Europe. Sometimes we go to war though not just for moral reasons. We may step in because in the end it will be advantageous in some way to us, and we may have certain interests in a country that we'd like to protect. All in all, if war can be avoided, it generally should be. It would be best to engage in diplomacy if possible, thus reaching a passive agreement in which both parties will be satisfied. War can bring growth and prosper, yet it can also bring destruction, disorder, and unrest that can sometimes never be recovered from.