Day of Peace

And into plowshares turn their swords,
Nations shall learn war no more
 - "Vine and Fig Tree" lyrics


Around the globe, many gather with family, friends, and loved ones to share in the spirit of the holidays today.

For one day, can hostilities cease, enmities be set aside, and a common spirit of humanity reign supreme?

Peace or better termed security like freedom is a rarity on this spinning orb but a mere speck in the galaxy. As Kant reminds us, the natural state is one of war.

A wish for peace therefore must be supported by the will to wage war to protect freedom.

Freedom is losing ground

Indeed, according to Freedom House in 2008, the latest report, for the third consecutive year freedom yielded to tyranny. Despotism is on the march.

As former Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin told the UN General Assembly in 1982: "As long as tyranny is armed, liberty must have and develop weapons for its defense. Otherwise, slavery will engulf the whole of mankind..."

Democratic Peace
Democracies today face an increasingly arduous task to remain free and to assist freedom lovers trapped in tyranny. International relations experts still debate the controversial theory of "democratic peace". That is, the more democracies there are the less wars there are, explains Professor Rummel.

Thus it is in the interest of democracies to expand the club in order to avoid an increase in extreme violence and war.

Democratic Future?
Bold and decisive action is required to arrest the trend toward tyranny. Fragile democracies from Colombia to the Caucasus need to consolidate gains with aid from other democratic states.
Unfortunately, the diplomatic, military, and economic power of Western democracies is waning at a crucial juncture in world history when tyranny is in ascendancy.

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