E109: Peace, Peace, When There Is No Peace

In my closing podcast summarizing the Ancient Art of Modern Warfare I review key points from Episodes 91-96 about peace, with an application to current events. When we are trying to figure out conflict termination the take-away should be that peace after war depends on:

1. Jus ad bellum and jus in bello. The material evils of war are only justified to correct an injustice so great that the continued harm of that injustice is worse than the harm caused by that war. The cure cannot be worse than the disease. Jus in bello limits those harms and makes the restoration of peace easier.
2. Being feared but not hated. This goes with Jus in Bello. Deliberate actions that cause unnecessary death and destruction, particularly to the civilian population and cultural/religious works, can inflame passion and hatred among the civilian population. The result can both extend the conflict and instill long-lasting resentments which plant the seeds of future war.
3. Jus post bellum: Establishing or re-establishing justice. Victory is not peace. It does not correct the injustices that justified the war. Victory, or the point where both sides are so exhausted that they accept a truce, is merely a necessary pre-condition for building a peace that addresses the root causes of the injustices that led to armed conflict.

Sadly, these are largely ideals, rarely practiced throughout history. They are derived from the numerous examples in the history of warfare which disregarded these concepts and the far fewer examples in which they were practiced, leading to a more sustainable peace.

Although this is the last episode covering the fundamentals that I think every citizen should know about war, the podcast will continue, but more on that next week.

 

Music: Copeland, A., and the US Marine Corps Band, Fanfare for the Common Man (2000), Library of Congress recording