Assignment 9 - Claire Thompson

In a perfect world, there would never be war. But, also, in a perfect world, there would be no need for anyone to go to war. Violence doesn’t ever seem like the appropriate answer. Often, I feel as though wars fought throughout history are largely the gross offspring of totalitarian greed. But, in certain cases, I would say war seems like the only answer. If WWII is what it took to end a world fascist period, then so be it. It’s hard to see how a fascist and genocidal regime can be taken down without the use of violence. But it is wars like Vietnam that are so indicative of how horrible and useless war can be. Vietnam was horrific, misguided, and almost completely unfounded. America’s long track record of getting involved in global conflicts in order to spread American imperialism is exactly what is wrong with war—the notion that violence is the way to spread capitalism and American ideals (both of which are flawed in their own right) is backwards and wrong. War is the perfect vehicle for evil, greed, and genocide to get a chance to take of their shoes and get comfortable.