War

Is all war bad? In recent times, war against extremism is perceived as a good way to solve the world's problems. The 'War on Terror' is the instrument where good shall triumph over the Axis of Evil. But is this always right?

Wars have always been fought over territory/resources/empire conquest/religion and race. The wars in the past were bloody and often long conflicts and indecisive. Were they bad? In a way if they had not happened, the current world we live in would not exist. The cultures and races of people we have today would not exist; it would have looked very homogeneous as Hitler had perceived: a master race would rule and life would have been very boring.

But, contrast that to the modern day? The current conflicts are less bloody, but cause much more damage. The atrocity of 9/11 propelled the world down a path of global conquest to rid the world of evil. In reality, they have created a world of mistrust and perpetual fear of terrorism and war. Was the war in Iraq justified? They removed an evil dictator from a persecuted people, but have the current regime improved things with the aid of America and Britain as promised? No, this shall take a long time to solve although things before the conflict were running smoothly under Saddam Hussein.

So is war bad? I can give a Yes and No answer to this question.

It is, in my opinion, a last means resort; not a first means as used instead of diplomacy. It has its uses to prevent one nation from aggressive intents towards another maintaining a status quo (peace) in the world. Past wars have created nations; destroyed them; rebuilt them and flourished the world with diversity. These I believe make war a less harmful prospect than normally perceived when the conflict ceases and peace prevails.

War is bad since people, soldiers and civilians die. Genocide and civil conflict blight neighbouring nations for decades with little sign of reconciliation. These factors make war a horrible scenario that people in the West little ever experience. People who live in continual conflict have different views: they would perceive the death of an enemy their goal: therefore, war being seen as good in their eyes. Of course, this view is morally repugnant in democratised states who use wars to police the world.

To say war is always bad is an over simplification of the truth; war has a purpose for limited gains and is a means to an end when ALL other avenues have been exhausted.