Sunday, April 04, 2010

Peace That Will End Peace

This war did not begin because international agreements were not made, but because they were not kept. GK Chesterron "Peace That Will End Peace," 1917
This, and the conclusion of the previous post, rather points up the inevitable weakness of the UN or any such organisation which admits tyrannical governments. All such organizations will discourage good nations from fighting, by appealing to their better natures. And it follows, as the night the day, that they will encourage bad nations to keep fighting, whatever the organization says. For these have not a better nature to appeal to, and use the willingness of decent people to doubt and discuss as nothing more than another battleground where they might weaken them. An arbiter among reasonable people who have lost their tempers and are temporarily unreasonable is an excellent thing. But there are spouses who want only power and revenge; businessmen who are mere cheats; with these there can never be negotiation, only enforcement.

1 comment:

Der Hahn said...

And the ones they did keep were all the wrong ones.