Loving Your Neighbour with Your Defence Budget
The Christian Case for Defence Spending
Maybe loving your neighbour requires defending them from the harm threatened by foreign adversaries.
Over at CPX, I have written an article on The Ethics of Australian Defence Spending.
We must stop thinking about Russia-Ukraine, China-Taiwan, Iran-Middle East, and the Korean peninsula as distinct and separate conflicts. They are different theatres of the one struggle of autocratic regimes against liberal democracies. These nations, radically diverse as they are, are committed to autocracy and defeating the western world. They cooperate materially, militarily, politically, and economically. Australia is, by virtue of our liberal democratic system, and whether we like it or not, a party in this new cold war.
Christians are called to be peace-makers. In the cause of peace, there is an old saying si vis pacem, para bellum, “if you want peace, then prepare for war.” Deterrence of aggression by means of strength and solidarity is an instrument of peace, something all nations generally adopt.
To that end, God bless the ADF, we must fund them as appropriate, and hope they never need to fire a shot in anger.
Otherwise, here is an 8-minute video I made on this very topic!
Very much agree. It recognises, too, the fallen state of humanity and the easy downhill slope into barbarity and self- justication. A counter to our false idealism.