Modern politics are rife with wars and rumors of wars in which many countries are in-volved in. Our own country has played a part in four major wars this century and numerous small wars and engagements. Gone are the days when a country could wage war to simply ac-quire land, privilege, and economic status over other countries, while harboring hatreds for their victims. Wars today, it seems, are driven by ethnic divisions, with territorial claims as a critical factor or even just part of the spoils of war. However, there are those countries that exist with little or no military at all and would need to rely heavily on neighboring countries in order to survive an all-out attack. Far from being weak or despised, these countries evoke a sense of wanting to emulate them, even in countries that must maintain a military for their allies and their own protection. In these days, it is possible for a country to shun war and aggression and be very popular with its own people, as well as others. Several keys items are; the belief that hasty mili-tary action leads to more violence; demilitarized countries pose almost no threat to any country; and that, in this day, these countries retain their autonomy through a practice of mutual non-aggression and political alliances.
A very common idea present in the entire world is that violence begets violence. At the very core of Christian ideology is this passage: " but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also" (Matt. 35:39), which clearly exhorts one to not retaliate to vio-lence. Surely, the opposite reaction is evident in the continuing war between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The countries make movements toward peace, but individuals or groups within each make attacks against the other in response to a previous attack. Tensions build, more at-tacks are made, and the situation deteriorates. Similar effects were seen during the Cold War, although to a much lesser degree because neither country openly attacked the other.
