Where are the Antiwar Voices?

The world has always been driven by war. The rich and powerful leaders all say that the only solution or only way to settle many issues is going to war while they and heir families sit safely in their mansions. Although many may agree that war may be the solution for certain situations, the majority of Americans are anti war, especially young Americans. It's always been the case that the younger generations are far more antiwar than the older generations. This is until they get older themselves, in which they usually change view points over time. 

When you think antiwar and antiwar protests, the first thing that you likely think of is 18-28 year olds in the 1960-70's protesting the war in Vietnam, people in the streets with big signs, all coming together hoping to convince the government to end the violence and deaths. America has been involved in multiple other wars since Vietnam, and yet the antiwar voice hasn't gotten any louder. While Vietnam was an especially deadly and unnecessary conflict that deserved much of the protest which it received, why aren't Americans keeping the same energy 60 years later? We still get involved in unnecessary conflicts that lead to wars, death and violence. 

Looking back at recent history, you would think that Americans are aggressive and pro-war, based off of how many conflicts and wars that the country has gotten into within the last 50 years alone. However, if you were to conduct a survey asking American's how they feel about how the government is handling Iran, and if they are antiwar or not, you would be surprised by how many people are antiwar. 

Of course the majority of the younger generations (or anyone who is eligible for the draft) will say that they are against going to war over any issue, and with them, their parents who don't want their children being shipped off to a random country, and grandparents who were deployed themselves and don't want anyone else to suffer how they and their friends did.

With this, you would think that there would be more antiwar press and more protests about the current conflicts that the nation faces. This is where websites like Antiwar.com and The American Conservative come in. After exploring both websites, I noticed that they provide something that can sometimes be difficult to find in mainstream news: strong arguments questioning American military intervention. Antiwar.com specifically describes its mission as supporting a non-interventionist foreign policy and promoting diplomacy and dialogue. The American Conservative takes a somewhat different approach, but also describes its foreign policy views around realism and restraint.

This made me think about why I don't hear these arguments nearly as often when I watch regular news. I don't necessarily think there is some giant conspiracy where every major news organization is secretly trying to hide antiwar opinions. There are probably a lot of reasons for it. Mainstream news focuses heavily on breaking news, government announcements, military operations and political debates. When a conflict is happening, the coverage can become more focused on what the government is doing rather than whether the government should be doing it in the first place.

The First Amendment is important here because people have the right to criticize the government and question its decisions. During World War I, antiwar Americans were sometimes punished for expressing their views. Today, Americans have much stronger legal protections for political speech, but that does not mean every viewpoint receives the same amount of attention.

That is probably the biggest thing I took away from looking at these websites. Having freedom of speech means more than just being allowed to say what you think. It also means having the ability to hear different opinions and decide what you believe for yourself. Antiwar.com even acknowledges that it has a specific worldview and agenda, which is important to recognize when reading it. The American Conservative also openly presents itself as an alternative voice within conservatism.

I think that is what makes dissent so important. You don't have to agree with every antiwar argument, just like you don't have to agree with every argument supporting military action. But if Americans only hear one side, they aren't getting the full picture. War is one of the biggest decisions a government can make because the consequences aren't just political. Real people have to live with those decisions. The First Amendment gives Americans the right to question those decisions, and I think that right is most important when the opinion being expressed is unpopular.