Politics and Culture

From here

BAGHDAD (AFP) - The US military on Thursday cautiously welcomed radical Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's freeze on militia activities, including a halt to attacks on US-led forces.
"Any time someone in Iraq, especially a leader, wants to use non-violent methods to solve problems and to participate in a meaningful way in the future of Iraq, we encourage this," said US military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Chris Garver.

"I pray that Al Sadr is true to his word. I think it could be a great thing for Iraq."

After saying those words in my head, I started thinking, "what if everybody "stood down" or just stopped fighting? Wouldn't the world be a better place?" And, then I started thinking a little more.

Not all stand downs are created equal and one of the ways to tell who's right or better, at least, in any conflict is by the result a cessation of its war activities would effect. If Al Qaeda stops fighting, people where they're more active will probably have a greater chance of being alive, for one. But also, Al Qaeda's victims would have more freedom and experience a lower level, all around, of stress and violence. If the coalition forces stopped fighting Al Qaeda, however, things would probably be much worse.

Follow up:

Likewise if Shia militias like Sadr's Mahdi group stopped fighting coalition forces, it could usher in a new era of cooperation whereas the opposite wouldn't.

Let's expand my idea. If Israel stopped fighting, it would probably embolden its enemies, but if Hezbollah and Palestinian terror groups like Hamas decided to set aside their AK-47s and rockets, does anybody doubt that, Israel feeling safer, a peace for the region can be found?

What about if the 13th street gang stopped fighting vs. the police ending its patrols?

What if Hitler had said, "you know, I think I'll stop now. I've killed enough people?" What if Churchill had said that fighting Hitler was an impossible task?

What if Americans today just stopped battling those we now oppose around the world? What would be the result? Who would benefit from that?