Buddhism and Deterring War

Stacia-Fe Gillen

Buddhism and Deterring War

How does Buddhism and Loy’s views reflect/define responsibility in the context of war? On page 91, Loy states that “some are guilty, but all are responsible.” Here, he was addressing the problem of when an individual citizen tries to rationalize innocence. He then states that “our society as a whole is responsible.” But what does this responsibility reflect? How should we address the responsibilities of war? In the global system, we have state, national, and international institutions that address war crimes. But how do we account for individual mentalities, the roots of why we invoke war?
Furthermore, I am looking for a more detailed insight on how to address terrorism. If “terrorism cannot be destroyed militarily because it a tactic,” (91) what are some applications of Buddhism that would lead to dissolving terrorism’s origins? Modern alternative paths include relief work to alleviate poverty, an increase in education, and improving local economic markets. For example, the book Three Cups of Tea (http://www.threecupsoftea.com/about-the-book/). Would these examples properly model Buddhism’s idea of compassion?
And for those conscientious objectors who are not Buddhist, what actions dissuading war (from a Buddhist perspective) would be appropriate? Another approach to preventing war is to pressure states. Would Buddhism/Loy support economic and political sanctions as a replacement for war? Do these cause too much dukkha by denying supplies and liberties? Is there an even better solution to deterring war?