Forcing Peace
America is heavily invested in the stability of the international community. If the world’s peacefulness didn’t impact America, frankly, the US government wouldn’t be involved in worldwide conflicts. Because the search for American safety often leads to US participation in the affairs of other nations, the US has taken up an almost formulaic strategy of imposing peace on world powers. During the Cold War, the US attempted to create a peaceful situation in Korea by using military force, but instead brought about one of the most volatile stalemates of all time along the 38th parallel, where any amount of sparks could reignite the conflict. In Israel, American diplomacy efforts have tried to force peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. However, similarly to the reason there is conflict in that area of the world in the first place- the complete disregard for social and tribal boarders after World War One by the allies- Americans, who, as a whole, do not understand the ethnic divides in the Middle East, cannot hope to force a simple solution as a one-size fits all promise of peace and democracy, nor can they just ‘send in the troops’ to battle out Israel’s problems.
Today, Korean diplomacy efforts are more dangerous than ever. The recent ship-bombing incident may have set back North and South Korean relations years, and the US has few options if peace is a goal for Americans in Korea. Military action didn’t work the first time in Korea, and it won’t work if tried again. The UN could employ economic sanctions against North Korea, but that would require the compliance of the Chinese, who have- if not a complete supportive stance- a vested economic interest in North Korea. While it may be completely unwise for the American government to just allow the nations to work it out on their own, perhaps a second look needs to be taken at how the US helps forge peace. Currently, there is no diplomacy between North and South Korea- or North Korea and nearly any other nation, for that matter. The US’s priority should be resuming talks directly with the North Korean government, not getting the UN to send out nuclear sanctions the Korean government ignores. Peace may be far off in Korea, but it is achievable. America cannot simply force the North Korean government into a peaceful situation, they have to be willing to work for it as well, and their willingness can be incentivized by economic sanctions, but only with the support of the Chinese.
The same is true in Israel. No matter how many times the US attempts to spark peace talks between the Israel and Palestinian people, no true peace is achieved. The atmosphere in the area has only worsened over the last few years, and, somehow, America must gain the support of both parties if the US wishes to be the leader in peace talks. Once again, the use of military- either by the US or Israel- only hurt the situation: peace is not something that an army can shoot into people.
Military force is often the US’s go-to answer. While it can be highly helpful as a final solution, military action is not usually best for building a path to peace. Partial military missions, like counter-insurgency in Afghanistan, can be a step in the right direction. The same is true for peace talk in Israel and sanctions in North Korea. Not every problem can be answered with military force.
Read more »
Today, Korean diplomacy efforts are more dangerous than ever. The recent ship-bombing incident may have set back North and South Korean relations years, and the US has few options if peace is a goal for Americans in Korea. Military action didn’t work the first time in Korea, and it won’t work if tried again. The UN could employ economic sanctions against North Korea, but that would require the compliance of the Chinese, who have- if not a complete supportive stance- a vested economic interest in North Korea. While it may be completely unwise for the American government to just allow the nations to work it out on their own, perhaps a second look needs to be taken at how the US helps forge peace. Currently, there is no diplomacy between North and South Korea- or North Korea and nearly any other nation, for that matter. The US’s priority should be resuming talks directly with the North Korean government, not getting the UN to send out nuclear sanctions the Korean government ignores. Peace may be far off in Korea, but it is achievable. America cannot simply force the North Korean government into a peaceful situation, they have to be willing to work for it as well, and their willingness can be incentivized by economic sanctions, but only with the support of the Chinese.
The same is true in Israel. No matter how many times the US attempts to spark peace talks between the Israel and Palestinian people, no true peace is achieved. The atmosphere in the area has only worsened over the last few years, and, somehow, America must gain the support of both parties if the US wishes to be the leader in peace talks. Once again, the use of military- either by the US or Israel- only hurt the situation: peace is not something that an army can shoot into people.
Military force is often the US’s go-to answer. While it can be highly helpful as a final solution, military action is not usually best for building a path to peace. Partial military missions, like counter-insurgency in Afghanistan, can be a step in the right direction. The same is true for peace talk in Israel and sanctions in North Korea. Not every problem can be answered with military force.
Posts
