Why Do Antiwar Movements Fail?
[Debating War: Why Arguments Opposing American Wars and Interventions Fail. By David J. Lorenzo. Routledge, 2016. viii + 233 pages.]
David Lorenzo, a professor of international affairs at the National Chengchi University in Taiwan, has undertaken an ambitious task. America has engaged in many wars throughout its history, and all of them have encountered opposition. Lorenzo in this excellent book endeavors to classify the principal types of argument that have been raised by those who challenged the path of war.
Readers will come away from Lorenzo’s extensive survey with an indelible impression. The same debates recur again and again. If for example, we look at the debate over the War of 1812, it might be Ron Paul speaking about the invasion of Iraq in 2003:
He maintains that
critics are at a disadvantage in terms of cooperative action when compared with their interventionist and activist rivals. It is easier for the latter to build coalitions and cooperate because at bottom, despite their differences, most of those who are in favor of particular interventions agree that such interventions are ultimately good for American security and in keeping with American values and therefore have little problem cooperating to push for action.
The situation, Lorenzo thinks, is different for anti-interventionists. Though the critics “are often more united in terms of generally opposing all interventions and wars than are interventionists, the reason for their objections provides important problems for cooperation. Critics differ fundamentally in the end goals they seek, and these differences spill out into their ability to cooperate.” Lorenzo’s argument is open to an objection. Is it not also the case that interventionists differ in their reasons to support the war? If these differences do not prevent the interventionists from cooperating to advocate a common policy, why do opponents of war face greater difficulties? Despite their different goals, all non-interventionists agree that avoiding war will help them gain whatever their ultimate end may be. If the clashing interventionists can cooperate, given that they share a proximate goal, why not their opponents?
Despite this problem, I highly recommend Debating War. It is a tribute to the author’s scholarly objectivity, a rare quality these days, that readers will be unable to discern the author’s own views about the historical issues of war and peace he so ably discusses.
Note: The views expressed on Mises.org are not necessarily those of the Mises Institute.
The post Why Do Antiwar Movements Fail? appeared first on LewRockwell.
Leave a Reply