'Why is there no serious movement to abolish war?'
Would you be able to attack and take over your neighbor's home over a boundary line dispute? Could you legally threaten their safety, no matter how angry you were? The answer is a resounding no. Then why is it that when a conflict transcends national boundaries, we have no clear and immediate recourse against aggression other than threatening or carrying out more violence in return?
The system of international law has been undermined at every turn to protect the ability of strong countries to do what they please. The United Nations has been kept weak, with the system of Security Council vetoes for the five permanent members making a farce of the idea of global accountability. The International Criminal Court is an opt-in situation, applying only to those countries that have accepted the jurisdiction of the court—and neither Russia nor the United States have opted in.
We have been conditioned to accept international violence—essentially mass murder in the name of states' goals. While on the surface societies have moved beyond feudal systems with war lords vying for territory, today we have terrible weaponry that could destroy the whole of humanity many times over with the click of a button.
While a global shift in approach will raise many questions—what enforcement will look like, how disarmament could happen on a global scale, and what international bodies could equitably provide this type of governance—the potential benefits are enormous. We could make serious investments in systems of restorative justice of the sort that could infuse all of our conversations about accountability and justice.
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