Peace nihilism – the widespread assumption that wars are inevitable and that peace activism is futile – must be overcome if democratic forces are to successfully move governments to taking peace seriously.
The belief that it is pointless to campaign for peace, because governments will not listen, may arise in some people as a way of achieving certainty in a dangerously uncertain world. If the world finds itself in WW3, the pessimist has the satisfaction of being able to say “I told you so”. This is a small consolation when set against the fact that WW3 will put an end to civilisation.
Some people believe that the human beings are incorrigibly violent war-fighting animals. In its most extreme form it is expressed in the “Hydraulic” belief that it is necessary to have a war periodically to relieve some war-fighting urge. There is no scientific evidence for the existence of this urge. Some peoples get involved in wars far less than others, and some peoples (for instance, the Danes), having once in their history been warlike Vikings, are now numbered among the most peaceful and civilised nations.
Peace nihilism is often the result of disappointment that a Government ignored a peace demonstration (for instance the Blair Government’s discounting of the massive, one million person demonstration against the Iraq War), or that their MP failed to answer a letter the person sent. Such reversals and disappointments are inevitable in the struggle against a deeply ingrained habit. We are bound to come up against obstacles laid down by the military industrial complex which is the only section of humanity which profits from war.
Nothing comes of nihilism. Pessimism leads to depression and inaction. Peace campaigning is effective at very least in helping activists to lose the feeling of dread and powerlessness in the face of news that is full of stories of military violence. Peace advocacy is a matter of persistence and consciousness of the vital necessity of helping to create a more peaceful world, and when we leave nihilism behind, we will have a mass movement to bring pressure on our rulers, because the vast majority of people do want to live peaceful lives.
We are not talking about absolute peace. Pacifism is a respected tradition, upheld by valuable groups such as the Quakers, but it is a difficult position for a government to uphold. Quakers did come into power in the early history of the USA, but had to resign when their state came under attack. Our aim here is to reduce the frequency and intensity of war rather than to abolish it completely.
Related Questions
- Can war be seen as a form of political insanity?
- When is it justified for a nation to fight?
- Can wars be stopped by peace activism?
A More Peaceful World 