Can peace be achieved through war? Of course it can. Every war has been followed by a peace of some sort. It's not that unusual for aggressors to be defeated through war, thus ushering in a new era of peace and freedom -- or at least relatively more peace and freedom than before. At the same time, though, it's also not that unusual for wars to lead to eras of greater repression and brutality. Perhaps the more relevant question is whether peace can be imposed through war -- whether war can be used as an effective means for imposing peace, democracy, justice, etc.

 

Read Article: Using War to Promote Peace & Democracy: We Bring the Values of Civilization to People by Invading and Bombing Them

On the Fourth of July, President Bush was at Monticello where he attended a naturalization ceremony for new citizens and gave a speech on the importance of good citizenship. Monticello is a natural place to quote Thomas Jefferson, one of the most important of America's founders, but in doing so Bush revealed something interesting about himself: he offered only an edited quote which left out the fact that Jefferson was criticizing religious beliefs and religious institutions. Read more...