Our society must be equal to the threats ahead

There seems to have been a view developing in recent years that defines peace simply as the absence of war. If only we can avoid armed conflict, the argument seems to say, then we will live in a more peaceful world. But peace is not simply the absence of war. Real peace is accompanied by an unavoidable set of values. Freedom from tyranny, freedom from oppression and freedom from fear are essential for real peace, and unfortunately we sometimes have to fight and even to die to defend these freedoms.

This is where our social attitudes, our political direction and our national security converge — in the crucial question about the state of our national resilience. For it is our resilience, our political and social fortitude, which will determine whether or not we are able to deal with the threats and challenges which lie before us.

Our current enemies answer to no public caucus, no court of electoral legitimacy.