The Ultimate Irony

In our first few classes we discussed the different reasons for war. The reason that was most compelling to me was the claim that to make peace, we must wage war. We encounter odd ironies every day. Not to dampen the mood, but just today my mother called me telling me she had been in a bad car accident. She told me where she was and immediately I was off to the races. I was going a good 20 miles over the speed limit, which ironically is the very act that causes car accidents. Again, we experience ironic situations every day, but no situation, no action is more ironic than the claim that to make peace, we must wage war. Not surprisingly, I have a difficult time finding the moral logic in this. From a strictly strategic point, this makes perfect sense. If a country or group of people with conflicting ideas becomes threatening enough to disturb peace, we must kill them. But from a moral and human standpoint, is there really a legitimate chance that these people can harm me. Is it necessary to kill the people who are opposing us, and even more, is it necessary to kill innocent people who have no control over the situation into which they have been thrusted. Thus the question arises, and I think we got to it in class, where do we draw the line?