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the Foreign Policy Research Iostitute at
the University of Pennsylvania, made
this interesting observation on the posi–
tion Rome occupied as "military police–
man" of the ancient world and the
effect this eventualty had on her peo–
ples. What Dr. Strausz-Hupé has said
about Rome is particularly relevant to
the U. S. today as she is so heavily com–
mitted to the role of "international
policeman."
He said: "Rome was the 'policernan'
of the ancient world. Her people grew
weary of this assignment ... shortly
thereafter, Rome's hostile neighbors
turned more aggressive ... for awhile,
appeasement of her enemies bought
Rome peace. Then her strongest allies
defected, and her enemies, encouraged
by Rome's limp response to their
provocations, renewed the attack and
proceeded to ravage Rome's home
territories, Italy and Gaul" ("The Les–
sons from the Roman Fall," Dr. Robert
Strausz-Hupé,
L.
A.
Herald-Examiner,
Feb.
9,
1969).
The parallels between Rome and the
U.S.A. are so obvious they hardly
require comment.
But Why Wars?
Everyone wants, it seems, PEACE. The
United States wants peace. So does the
Soviet Union. Placards throughout the
nations - in many languages - pro–
claim the desire for peace and that roen
may live in harmony.
Religious leaders want peace.
Statesmen, politicians, world leaders
since time immemorial have sought
peace. But only war carne.
Why?
Why
has the world sought peace and been
unable to find it?
The observations, studies, reports and
analyses of meo, bound in the books
that line our library shelves, provide a
means of insight into the causes of
peace and war. The best-seller of all
time - possessed by more people than
any other and probably studied least -
has this to say about the subject of
peace.
"When a man's ways please the
Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be
at peace with him" (Proverbs
16:7).
The conc!usion? Since there is no
peace, then the
ways of man
in tbis
world
don't
please
the Almighty!
This same book has this to say about
The
PLAIN TRUTH
the subject of
1uar.
James wrote: "From
whence come wars and fightings among
you ? Come they not hence, even of your
lusts that war in your members? Ye
lust and have not:
ye
kili and desire to
have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and
war yet you have not" (James
4:1-2).
Notice another authority:
"Practica! men have, then, usually
thought of war as
a
manifestation of
human nature with its complex of
ainbitions, desires, purposes, animosities,
aspirations and irrationalities." So wrote
Quincy Wright in
A Study of War.
He continued: "Men or governments
want something - wealth, power, social
solidarity - and, if the device of war
is known to them and other means
have failed, they use war as a rational
means to get what they want." (Page
107,
Phoenix Books Edition.)
Notice the words -
aspiratiom, ani–
mosities, irrationalities,
a desire for
1uealth, power,
etc.
Souods just like the apostle James,
doesn't it!
Hans Morgenthau expressed it this
way: "Men do not fight because they
have arms. They have arms because they
deem it necessary to fight. Take away
their arms, and they wilt either fight
with their bare fists or get themselves
new arms with which to fight. What
makes for war are the conditions in the
minds
of meo which make war appear
the lesser of two evils. In those condi–
tioos must
be
sought the
disease
of
which the desire for, and possession of,
arms is but a
symptom. So long
as
mm
seek to domínate each other and to take
atuay each others possessions,
and so
long as they fear and hate each other,
they will try to satisfy their desires and
to put their emotions to rest"
(Politics
Among Natiom,
fourth edition, p 392).
If
you have two aggressive children,
you
have undoubtedly witnessed person–
ally on your own living room fioor what
Mr. Morgenthau has described. Each
child is possessive of his own toys. And
as soon as he senses someone trying to
take what is his, he's ready to meet the
situation with whatever resistance seems
necessary - if that means fight, then
.fight it must be, unless you quickly
intervene.
And what is necessary to overcome
August-September 1970
this? T rain ing, right education and a
change of the human spirit.
Sound like lofty ideals?
Perhaps, but absolutely necessary -
and recognized by sorne of the world's
greatest authorities.
Consider These Words
Another great leader - a mditary
man himself - also saw why mankind
goes to war and what
it
will take to
bring world peace. Standing before a
joint session of American Congress oo
April 19, 1951, tbe late General
Douglas MacArthur said:
"1
know war
as few other men now living know it,
and nothing to me is more revolting.
1
have long advocated its complete aboli–
tion, as its very destructiveness on both
friend and foe has rendered it useless as
a means of settling international dis–
putes . . . Men since the beginning of
time have sought peace . . . Military
alliances, balances of powers, leagues of
nations, all in turo failed, Jeaving the
only path to be by the way of the cru–
cible of war. The utter destructiveness
of war now blocks out this alternative.
We have had
Oftf
last chance.
If
we will
not devise sorne greater and more equit–
able system, Armageddon will be at our
door."
MacArthur summed up by putting
bis finger on why war has ravaged this
earth. He said, "The problem basically
is theological and involves a spiritual
recrudesceoce, an improvement of human
character that will synchronize with our
almost matchless advances in science,
art, literature, and all material and cul–
tural developments of the past
2,000
years. It must be of the spirit if we are
to save the flesh."
The Way to PEACE
What then, is needed to insure a last–
ing
peace?
A CHANGE
OF
THE HUMAN
SPIRIT AND CHARACTER!
Any nation is merely the sum of its
citizens. That is why ao JNDJVIDUAL
improvement - change - in human
character is necessary if nations are to
change. To date, bumans have operated
on the wrong premise - on the philos–
ophy of
self-centeredness.
One nation
wants to control another. lt seeks another
nation's natural resources, its population,