This Week's Top Rationalisation of Killing: Michael Gerson on "Coercive Peace"

Michael Gerson, former speechwriter for former President GeorgeW. Bush, in today's Washington Post on the Israel-Gaza conflict:

We can try to imagine a world of diplomats without soldiers, but it would be no more peaceful than a society of therapists without policemen. Coercion is not the ultimate source of peace -- but peace is sometimes unachievable without it.

Footnote with Absolute No Irony Whatsoever --- George W. Bush, 2005 Inaugural Address (author: Michael Gerson):

From the day of our founding, we have proclaimed that every man and woman on this Earth has rights, and dignity and matchless value because they bear the image of the maker of heaven and Earth.

Comments

[Ali Yenidunya]

This reminded me one of Fukuyama's statements: "A naive optimist whose expectations are belied appears foolish; while a pessimist proven wrong maintains an aura of seriousness."

Yes, thanks to Gerson's contribution to the literature by helping institutions facilitate reproducing this pessimism backed up with G.W.Bush's 'realist enough' decisions.

The allegement of the rationalization of killing for peace lies at the heart of the belief that the rationalization of societies through wars is essential for the creation of uniform social structures.

The most invalid point here is submitting 'a world of diplomats without soldiers' & 'a society of therapists without policemen' as if they could be compared with each other on the same ground. This navie nature biases perceptions of people...