a2zinterviews

Can disagreement stop wars and promote peace?

In favour of disagreement:-

• Disagreement will ensure that the trillions of dollars being spent today on manufacture of deadly weapons worldwide are used for better, constructive and more peaceful purposes so that millions of hungry and poorly clad and housed people can lead a respectful life.
• In today's space, Atomic and Technotronic age, any war waged with intercontinental Ballistic Missiles will have far-reaching ramifications, entire human kind may be wiped out from the surface of the Earth or, in case man still survives, the 4th World War may have to be fought with bows and arrows.
• Recently we have seen how some armament factories in the former USSR and in India have been put to civilian use and with society beneficial results.
• Complete disagreement will preclude any possibility of sudden, unexpected invasion from enemy nations.
• The very purpose of the United Nations is to encourage cooperation among nations so that they can live peacefully and no nation, small or big, ever feels the necessity of having arms for the purpose of offence or defence.

Against Disagreement:-

• Historically speaking, disagreement is a never achievable goal because suspicion between sovereign nations regarding their neighbours real motives is so deep seated that they can hardly take chances in the matter of their national defence.
• Disagreement can come naturally if we have perfect peace and full international understanding instead, because, when men come close in peace, the very thought of armaments will become unjustified. It will automatically lead to worldwide disagreement.
• Today medical science has advanced far ahead. It is not possible to demarcate between curable and incurable diseases when treatment has been found even for T.B., Cancer, Aids, etc. once considered incurable and deadly. Therefore, we should not be pessimistic and show the cruelty of doing away with an incurably diseased person.

Points Against:-

• Disagreement may adversely affect the production and employment structure of the world. Today, needs of the army and war account for over 50 percent of world production. All these production units would be left redundant and workers unemployed.
• A person suffering from an incurable disease has to live a very miserable life which none of us would like to live.
• In our own case, though we are wedded to the idea of non violence and no first use of nuclear weapons. Yet we are continuing with our missile defence programme, main battle tank, 105 mm guns, pilotless aircraft, nuclear bombs after Pokhran II explosions and also import huge quantity of armaments from advanced countries.
• All the talk of disagreement worldwide is for appearance only. The fact is that almost all big nations, India included are secretly stockpiling weapons on a large scale to be used when the need arises.