R: World Peace Requires America

The recent rise of the Islamic State, the brashness of Putin, and the renewed bellicosity of Hamas should make us question the progressive narrative of growing and persistent peace. Yes, it may be 2014, but evil isn't so easily erased from the tabula of human nature. We shouldn't be deceived by the relative stability the West has seen since World War II, owing largely to a bipolar, then briefly unipolar, world. Peace is a delicate balance, and America's gradual withdrawal from the world stage as of late puts this balance into jeopardy. Or does it? The U.S. is no stranger to erring abroad—could it only be fueling the raging fires? Does the U.S. as it stands today have the moral clarity to be making decisions that involve thousands, perhaps millions, of foreign lives? But if not America, then who can we charge with this immense burden? Or maybe we should just hope that the progressive narrative has some truth to it, and that over time, the threat or use of force will become as obsolete as beheading journalists in the Syrian desert.