Assignment 9: Maggie Anderson

While I believe that war is bad, I think that it is sometimes unavoidable.. I think the best answers are: Let other countries do their own thing. Try diplomacy.
The problem with the former is when the other country is unnecessarily harming either a group within the country or another country. Sometimes, the lesser of two evils is to enter the conflict rather than remain silently complicit. However, diplomacy should always be tried first between the conflicting countries or groups, potentially with other countries or groups in supporting roles.
The problem with diplomacy is when people want war. A country can negotiate all they want but if the other side wants to fight, they will get nowhere. Sometimes this happens because one side knows they won't get what they want in a compromise, other times it is because they simply want war. In The Princess Bride the prince tries to provoke his own country into attacking their neighbor and traditional enemy simply because he thinks war is the right thing to do, even though they don't seem to be doing anything.
War is the wrong choice, but sometimes the only one. Two sides must initiate compromise, but it only takes one to initiate war.