"A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace."

Since the dawn of human existence, contention between two parties has been frequent and nearly constant. This contention is better known as war. Throughout history, war has remained roughly the same. The only noticeablechange has been the technology used in war. The arrow, which was once the pinnacle of weapons technology, has been replaced by the nuclear bomb, a weapon capable of razing entire cities. The motives, however, have remained mostly the same. Common causes for war have included religious differences, land, and terrorism. The question is, however, whether war is necessary, or just a less effective way to settle disputes. I believe that in this world, there is a time for negotiation and a time for war.

As clichéd as it sounds, war truly is a necessary evil. This does not mean that war should be the first option, though. Instead, peaceful negotiation should be the first step towards resolving conflicts between nations. For negotiation to be the only means of settling disputes is wishful thinking, however. When negotiation fails, the only option left is war. Warfare really should only be used when all other options are proven ineffective, and contention still remains. There are times, though, when war is inevitable and must be used as the first resource. These instances are only when the cost of war would prove less than the cost of not going to war. An example of this would be terrorism. If a group or nation threatens the safety of a large number of innocent citizens, then war should definitely be implemented to bring an end to it.