Photo by Jayel Aheram and taken on October 29, 2006 in Rawa, Al-Anbar, Iraq.
We are happier when we aim to be more irenic than bellicose, but lasting peace sometimes requires confrontation in the short term. We should be wary, however, of those who claim year after year that the war of today is necessary for the peace of tomorrow.
Peace should not devolve into a promissory carrot dangled before the horses of the chariot of war. War is only justified when it justly establishes the conditions for lasting peace. When it does not, it is simply a means to unjust ends: the lust for power, greed for resources, nationalistic egotism, and overblown pride.
The forces of war must be deployed to serve the needs of humanity for a safe, sustainable, fulfilling life, not the greed of governments and corporations. When used, war should be a solution, not an excuse.
