Civil war is an awful thing. Whether it’s our civil war, with the Battle of Cold Harbor and Sherman’s March to the Sea or a civil war in Somalia or the Congo, the consequences can be devastating. President Lincoln’s first priority, as passionately as he hated slavery, was avoiding civil war. Casualties are measured in millions. A country is torn asunder, and it could take decades or centuries to mend it back together. How bad must an injustice be before we consider a civil war a preferrable outcome?
I ask this in the context of Iran. As open and peaceful demonstrations are near impossible, should the reformists continue resisting? How far should they take things?
