Peace, Peace When There Is No Peace

This article originally appeared in American Mind on August 8, 2023

A century ago, Teddy Roosevelt published a collection of articles titled Fear God and Take Your Own Part in which he outlined his views on war and peace. Responding to “professional pacificists”—those who refused to respond to Germany despite its sinking of cruise liners with Americans on them and its advances in Europe—he observed: “Righteousness is the end, and peace a means to the end, and sometimes it is not peace but war which is the proper means to achieve the end…peace does not necessarily bring righteousness.”

Teddy’s views on the dangers of peace while German U-boats killed American women and children have lessons for us today, with a rising interest in the related subject of civility. A recent piece in Politico Magazine ran through nearly a dozen new efforts—from congressional caucuses to campus institutes—focused on civility.

There is no doubt we can use more civility in our politics and culture. The political climate, social media, and pandemic-era self-isolation have produced an environment in which we rush to shame those who disagree with us rather than come together to discuss our differences...

Read full op-ed in American Mind