War is not always evil. Ultimately, war is nothing but
change.
Humans have conflicts with each other, not merely because of
selfishness, but because of scarcity, error and miscommunication.
Normally, the system by which these conflicts are resolved
peacefully is the law, whether national or international. However,
if the law is unjust, then conflicts are not successfully resolved
and efforts are made to change the law. Many systems exist for
peacefully changing the law, such as democracy for national laws,
and diplomacy for international law and treaties. However, if these
systems fail or prove inadequate, the law or political system is
changed by war, whether civil, international or terrorist. The
purpose of war, therefore, is to correct laws and political systems
that one or more parties believe to be unjust. Ultimately,
injustice, perceived or actual, is the root of war. The object of
war is new law and a new political system which is more just than
the last, and therefore a more perfect peace.
The close connection between war and law is self-evident. The
bedrock of civilisation is the threat of force and violent death.
In a civilised country, if one does not obey the law, more and more
force is applied until he does or is killed, otherwise it ceases to
be civilised. If the police cannot stop a criminal or gang, the
STAR team is called. If they are beaten, commandoes will come. If
they are defeated, the army will be mobilized, then the airforce
and navy. Ultimately, the force of the law is the force of the gun.
The law derives its power from its authority and threat to kill,
and from the law emerges peace. Ultimately, peace between men
depends on the existence of the law to mediate conflicts
peacefully, and the law is upheld by the threat of war. Peace
within a nation is therefore dependant on the threat of civil war,
and civil war is the guarantor of civil peace.
In the same way, peace between nations is maintained by a balance
of power. This is nothing more than a fancy way of saying that they
threaten each other with force and violent death. International law
and cooperation is built upon a pyramid of deterrents, with the
ultimate deterrent being war. If a country does not fulfill its
treaty obligations to lower tariffs, it will be sanctioned, then
embargoed. If it tries to force the embargo, coast guard, then
naval ships will enforce the embargo. If it tries to sink the naval
ships enforcing the embargo, war erupts. Ultimately, even the
benign trade treaties between nations have devastating military
force behind them. International cooperation therefore is
guaranteed by the threat of war, and war is the spectre whose
threat ensures peace.
