The Apotheosis of War (1871) by Russian artist Vasily Vereshchagin. Wikimedia commons. Public domain.Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, felt compelled to assert that he was not a pacifist when discussing his party’s policy position on defence. This rhetoric is a reminder of the prejudice and stigma attached to the pacifist and conscientious objector position in history.
It could be argued that we are all pacifists until we demean ourselves by resorting to violence in any situation.
Might it be the case that pro-nuclear deterrent politicians, and global figures with a bellicose disposition, are pragmatic pacifists even if they lack the ethic and ideology that underpins the concept?
