Reply #6: That's a bit simplistic. [View All]

[Occam Bandage]

"War" and "peace" are not lines in the Federal budget. You could try saying "all defense spending is pro-war," but I don't think that the pure science research backed by the Pentagon is pro-war, nor do I think that such things as veterans' benefits, the National Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers or new fuel tankers put us on the warpath. Then you have to get into things like peacekeeping efforts by the armed forces. If, say, the Army were to intervene in an African genocide, would that count as pro-war, or pro-peace?

Pro-peace spending is even harder to define. Programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security undoubtedly increase social stability (and thus "peace,") but since those combined far outstrip military spending, that would defeat your hypothesis. Think tanks and conflict-resolution programs are nice, but aren't resource intensive. Foreign aid can be useful, but depending on allocation can make bad situations even worse.