Saturday, April 7, 2012

The Problem With Pacifism

Belmont Club » Soy Un Perdedor: "The problem with pacifism,  Michael Walzer once observed, is that “you may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.” Americans all throughout the Vietnam War were assured by the press that it was “unwinnable” — but Ho Chi Minh and Giap never believed it was anything other than winnable — and proceeded to win it themselves. Some authors have argued that the primary cultural impact of Vietnam was to permanently destroy America’s evil “victory culture” and permanently relocate the enemy to within its borders. We have met the enemy, and it will always be us.

But as the New York Times reminds its readers, nobody else has bothered to buy into the culture of impotence. “The senior leadership of the Chinese government increasingly views the competition between the United States and China as a zero-sum game, with China the likely long-range winner if the American economy and domestic political system continue to stumble, according to an influential Chinese policy analyst.”"
And also with fascifism -- apologies to Eric Blair.