Peace

[KevinTheOmnivore]

So I have been thinking about this one, and I was wondering what you folks thought.

I feel like many of the differences that develop over war, aggression, and violence stem from a different definition of the concept of peace. Is peace merely the absence of violence, or is it a conscious agreement/understanding between two or more parties?

For example, the American Left (not everyone, but many) often throw the word around a lot in reference to just about anything. The further Left, such as the Green Party, often refers to themselves as the "peace party," and their candidates have a "peace platform." So they support peace, which means they oppose any kind of military action just about ever.

But is that peace? I realize opposing a particular war doesn't make you a pacifist or even non-violent. Most Liberals and/or Dems I meet oppose the war in Iraq, but supported the war in Afghanistan.

Are people content to know that violent acts simply aren't happening, or does violence lead to peace? For example, is a nuclear Iran better than dead Iranians and dead American soldiers (let's say if all talks melted down)?