I want to focus on just one issue today: The reality of evil in the world and the need to confront this evil.
In Norway, one gunman launched a killing spree against children and attempted to murder as many people as possible by bombing central Oslo. In Afghanistan, the Taliban executed an eight year old boy because his father refused to collaborate with them.
These acts are evil. If they are not evil, then evil has no meaning.
While we should never allow emotion to dictate policy or our reaction to these atrocities, we must be resolute in our responses. This means that where we face groups and individuals who are focused on committing such terrible abuses against us, we have a responsibility to stop them. We must persuade reconcilable elements to join a meaningful peace process (as for example occurred in Iraq and N Ireland) and we must capture or destroy those who are irreconcilable to a just peace. To do otherwise is to allow evil to triumph.