George Orwell on Pacifism

Greetings. I've been busy getting settled here in Las Vegas. I'm still working on my book, but I came across an interesting passage. I find it extremely interesting because I recently made the same comment. I am pro war to the extent that I am anti genocide, mass rape, and homicidal dictator. But others, like some LDS leaders from the past, were anti war to the extent they were pro Nazi.

George Orwell said during WWII:

In so far as it hampers the British war effort, British pacifism is on the side of the Nazis and German pacifism, if it exists, is on the side of Britain and the USSR. Since pacifists have more freedom of action in countries where traces of democracy survive, pacifism can act more effectively against democracy than for it. Objectively the pacifist is pro Nazi.

A year later he said:

Pacifism is objectively pro-Fascist. This is elementary common sense. If you hamper the war effort of one side you automatically help out that of the other. Nor is there any real way of remaining outside such a war as the present one. In practice, 'he that is not with me is against me.'

Jonah Goldberg, The Tyranny of Cliches: How Liberals Cheat in the War of Ideas (New York: Penguin Group, 2012) 183.

So I love it when I arrive independently to a conclusion similar to that of great minds. It is also nice to have some reinforcements. It seems so simple and easy for so many people to say that violence never solves anything. But then I have to defend how I'm not rabidly pro war, but still think it is just and necessary. Thanks for reading.