The best means to achieve peace
             There are several means which peace can be achieved. According to Niccolo Machiavelli, "The end justifies the means no matter the cruel means to achieve them" (35). He believed that it is right to use cruel or violent means to attain peace. His ideas are quite different from those of Martin Luther King who said, "The means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek" (198). King believed that "it is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends"(198). I strongly agree with King's ideas to seek nonviolent means to achieve peace. Most people of the world want to go about their daily lives, care for their families and work toward prosperity. Violence brings instability, destructions and poverty.
             In Machiavelli's time, the world was in a great power struggle for territory. Today, the level of power supremacy is distinguished as first, second, and third world, according to economic and military strength. Violence does not help to maintain peace because it brings war therefore more violence; the increase in dangerous weapons only makes the condition worse. King's idea of non-violence to achieve solutions to problem is the sure means to solve problems. America's war in Afghanistan following the events of September 11 has not resulted in establishing peace in the country. It will require a combination of factors to bring in Afghanistan, and the course of war is not one of them, because it leads to loss of innocent lives. The search for Osama bin laden and his henchmen is almost an obsession for America because no one knows what bin laden's terrorists are planning. Such uncertainty creates anxiety, panic, and hysteria among Americans. This condition is likely to open the way for increased violence and counter-violence. It may even involve other countries not yet in the mix of America's war against international terrorism.
             In a situation like this, Machiavelli's...