Bhoomi Shah - Assignment 9

War is a very controversial topic, in my opinion, to talk about.  I would never condone violence in any other situation, but as long as war is the lesser of two evils, I see no wrong with it. Now there are many factors that go into declaring if a particular situation calls for war. What is the issue at hand? Has it been previously resolved through diplomatic means? Do both parties find compromise impossible? Who would be caught in the middle of the violence if war couldn't be avoided? The last question, in particular, prevents us from ever excusing war as a necessary tactic for countries to settle international issues. The fact is, however, we should never excuse war as necessary. Innocent lives, no matter how careful we promise to be, always are harmed when countries selfishly pursue their power-seeking agenda. I would like to make the bold statement and say every war ever fought on this planet has lead back to the overall gain in power for a group of elitist individuals, either directly or indirectly.  Even when countries act in defense they are technically exhibiting their strength and power against any threatening challengers. Innocent bystanders, citizens, families, mothers, fathers, children are the ones who in the end have to pay the ultimate price of such greedy actions pursued by their government leaders.  Agent Orange is a fine example of this.   During the Vietnam War, the United States Government issued the release of Agent Orange, a herbicide and defoliant chemical over Vietnam. Over 4 million people were exposed to the chemical, and the Vietnamese government has reported over 3 million cases of those who have suffered illnesses because of the exposure.  This horrible tragedy can never be excused or forgotten to the elusive need of war. It would be immoral to do so. However, we don't live in a perfect society. To say war can always be avoided would be foolish. To say that military leaders always take actions that would lead to the fewest casualties possible would be ludicrous. We are human and unfortunately not perfect. Peace is not simply achieved through discussion; blood at times will need to be shed to satisfy our lust for power. Rather than letting one powerful ruler or government dictate the whole world, war is the better option. Though it is not morally correct or excused, it is in many cases unavoidable.