Both countries are leaders for peace in the fact that they have disbanded their armies for the primary fact that they have disbanded their standing armies. Costa Rica maintains a police force for policing reasons and internal security and Iceland maintains a Coast Guard and police force. Japan only maintains a peacekeeping force but no official army (though this is due to a treaty from World War 2). Other countries who have disbanded their armies (some more successfully than others) are Dominica and Grenada (Grenada was another by force). Other countries also have no standing army but these are generally from lack of need (Vatican City), never having formed one (Andorra), or other less clear reasons. So do you think that this is a good idea? Costa Rica leads a couple of peacekeeping councils and a University of Peace that is UN funded in their country. Is it the world's countries slowly disbanding their armies that is going to help with bringing peace or is this naivety on these countries' parts? As far as first world superpowers, wouldn't the slow and controlled disbandment of the world's countries' armies make sure no country gets an advantage from it? Similar to how Russia and the US ended the Cold War by destroying nuclear weapons supplies a little bit at a time. Would this work or is it impossible? @Comrade: Yeah i realized my brilliance to after the fact. I was typing this in a disjointed fashion and kind of jumping around as new thoughts popped into my head. Sorry about that.
Politics - 12 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
"the fact that they have disbanded their armies for the primary fact that they have disbanded their standing armies." That's brilliant!!! *sheesh* Japan does have a standing army, currently at about 300,000.
2 :
Sure, but those who beat their swords into plowshares should expect that eventually they'll find themselves plowing for those who don't.
3 :
War has always been the tool to control the masses ! Without wars, politicians wouldn't have a job !
4 :
Not unless you have a super power to take care of yours. Both of these countries are protected by the US.
5 :
If Costa Rica leads peacekeeping councils because of UN funding, then Costa Rica leads peacekeeping councils because of the United States. The US funds most of the worthless UN. Also, Costa Rica and Iceland are not a target for terrorists. I do think we can pull our troops out, to save money, but I don't think disbanding them is a good idea.
6 :
It's a good idea in theory, but what happens when everyone has disbanded their army and then one country invades all the countries with no armies.
7 :
They don't need a military because they don't have anything anyone else wants. If they did have something like natural resources or a strategic location, they would need a military to keep someone else from taking over their country.
8 :
It would be good in an ideal world, but the world works under the "Realist" theory of international politics. Basically, according to the realist view, the world is anarchical (no central government, all countries are really alone), every country wants power, must survive, and thus needs an army for self-defense and take more land if necessary. It is impossible to trust your neighboring countries, because you never know if they will be your enemy tomorrow. Nor can you trust others enough to disband your army, because a more ruthless and power hungry State will take advantage of it and attack. this is specially true with world powers, who rely on their armies and military operations to hold on to their positions of power and provide a stable life for the citizens of a country. Imagine if the U.S. gets rid of the military, trying to start a weaponless peaceful world. Countries such a north Korea, Venezuela, and Cuba, which are weak States, will be among the first to attack a defenseless U.S. Another world power would then take the opportunity to achieve regional hegemony in the American continent, and we would probably be screwed. A defenseless world is just a dream, and an impossible one at that.
9 :
Read up on the Cod wars The U K sent in war ships to push Iceland around Now granted they well only push around little countries but Iceland needed to defend themselves
10 :
"The balance of power is the scale of peace. The same balance would be preserved were all the world not destitute of arms, for all would be alike; but since some will not, others dare not lay them aside ... Horrid mischief would ensue..." Thomas Paine, Thoughts on Defensive War
11 :
You have bought into Lamestream Media propaganda. Costa Rica may not have an army officially, but it does have a national police force called the Civil Guard, which is unusually heavily-armed for a so-called police force. The Civil Guard fought a number of bloody border skirmishes with the Sandinistas back in the 80s and stood up to them fairly well, so you tell me: Does that sound like a police force to you? Ditto for the Iceland situation. True Iceland doesn't have an army, but it does have an unusually large and heavily-armed coast guard, which it used in the "Cod War" with the Brits a decade ago. In both areas, the international situation has been stable for a long period of time. The states of Central America were US satellites from about 1850 until the overthrow of Somoza in the early 80s. Under these circumstances, the Costa Ricans could afford to disband their army because the Pax Americana guaranteed their borders. A similar situation prevailed in the North Atlantic where Iceland is located. The British Empire, and later NATO, and now finally the EU have guaranteed Iceland's territorial sovereignty. Thus, no local army was required. In all of these cases however, the dominant state and/or alliance most certainly did require an army, as well as a navy and an air force, to ensure compliance with it's hegemony.
12 :
"It makes no difference what men think of war, said the judge. War endures. As well ask men what they think of stone. War was always here. Before man was, war waited for him. The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner. That is the way it was and will be. That way and not some other way." BLOOD MERIDIAN by Cormac McCarthy
