Assignment #9-Emma Shadwick-George Washington was right

I think there is a time for war in the case of when another country threatens our nation's security repeatedly. For example, 9/11 was an attack on all American institutions- not just the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon. Or, in the case of the war of 1812, when another country attempts to extend their system of allied powers into another portion of the hemisphere. For example, Great Britain arming native Americans in the northwest territory of the newly formed United States. That is also a sufficient cause for war. War is not morally right, it is the lesser of two evils. The morally right solution would be to respect every nation’s customs and culture, so there would be nothing to instigate the act of war in the first place. There is always not a time for war because no one benefits from it. There may be a “winner”, but in reality, both sides suffer huge losses. One alternative to war would be a peace conference involving representatives from all countries on the verge of war with one another. The goal of such a conference would be to reach a compromise and prevent war. The drawbacks of this alternative include, there is guarantee that all countries will be represented sufficiently, which could lead to more conflict down the road. In summary, there’s a lot that I don’t understand about war. However, I do believe that George Washington was correct when he advised the entire nation in his farewell address to abstain from engaging in permanent political alliances or vice versa. The United States would be better off if we remain neutral in all wars unless our safety is directly threatened.