In the arguments that constantly rage about the use of military force, I’ve noticed a curious misrepresentation related to arguments against particular military engagements. There are many examples touting “peace” as the alternative to war, as if the discussion were totally binary with war as one choice, and peace as the other. Deciding to refrain from war does not ipso facto create peace, or even preserve it over a period of time; it instead leaves things exactly as they are for the moment.
Understandably, much has been written about the decision to go to war in Iraq, as an example. I’m not going into that one in any detail here, other than the say that if one is going to attempt to pragmatically judge whether or not any party is better off for having gone to war, the fair question is not (to use an example from the typically self-focused American case) “are we safer in 2007 than we were before the war”, but rather “are we safer in 2007 than we would now be if we hadn’t gone to war”. While there are some valid arguments in favor of both potential answers to that question, the point here is that time moves forward in any case after such a decision point; the world of 2007 is different than that of 2003, and many of those differences are the result of Iraq war. However, if the Iraq war had NOT happened, the world of 2007 would also be different than that of 2003, but in different ways. It is the present in both cases that must be used as the comparison point, not the present vs. the point in time before the decision.
What does this mean in practical terms? It simply means that when engaging in the necessary and healthy debate about the use of force, remember that choosing NOT to intervene with force is also a choice with consequences that continue into the future. A relevant case where this awareness could be employed might be the current situation in Darfur.
Note that the same point is applicable when examining the impact of any decision on subsequent circumstances; examples would be diplomatic actions, or even decisions at a very small scale such as personal relationships.
