Blog #4 - Antiwar Voices

There have been many wars throughout the history of the United States and although all these wars were fought for different reasons and in different places, there is one common denominator: War can not be won without support from the citizens. Whether that be people volunteering to enlist or a large amount of money being spent, the government needs the support of their citizens when entering and fighting in a war. Over time we have learned that the United States is not fond of people who speak out against war as they try to punish and silence antiwar figures, voices and movements.

Websites like Antiwar.com and American Conservative have many well-written articles and opinion pieces but their reach and influence is limited to the traffic they get on their websites since there are no opportunities for them to get their message out through the mainstream media despite their coverage of important topics and concerns. These websites also cover the politics involved in war and what is happening in other countries.

To get a feel for the type on content on these websites, I took a look at an article from Doug Bandow titled "President Joe Biden Has a Moral Obligation To Bring America's Troops Home from Afghanistan" from Antiwar.com. In Bandow's story he writes that "Since Washington is entrusted with their welfare, its international policies should begin with their protection and not put them at risk as individuals for reasons other than ensuring their security as part of their larger political community." What Bandow means by this is that the troops have been in Afghanistan for much longer than they need to be with Bandow claiming that the only reason they are still there is to essentially assert their dominance.

In 1644, John Milton stressed the importance of a "marketplace of ideas" meaning a world in which ideas are shared freely and publicly, right or wrong, true or false. Ultimately, with all these ideas out there, the truth prevails and is even stronger because of it. In my opinion, the silencing of these antiwar voices, as well as the failure to give them a large platform, is disrupting the marketplace of ideas.