pacifism is cowardly when inaction enables bad actors.

But pacifism isn't inaction. It is action with the intent to do no harm.

not everyone values peace

The value of peace is social, not individual. You value peace when you know you have everything you want from the status quo. You embrace violence as a means of shifting conditions in your favor.

But violence comes at a grander social price. Simply embracing it because someone else has only compounds the costs.

the paradox of tolerance is not a paradox

The question of a socially acceptable degree of tolerance is a difficult one to answer philosophically and even more difficult to implement as social policy.

It is not strictly a paradox, but it is an unsolved problem.

don’t let the illusion of a peaceful society lull you into a vulnerable trance

The cost of violent action is what dissuades a violent response. People aren't in a trance, they are taking a calculated risk.

never play fair with your enemy

Violating a social compact erodes trust. You reap a short term gain while everyone pays a long term price.

"Playing fair" is about establishing a social compact that everyone recognizes as beneficial. Violating broadly beneficial norms means accruing more enemies with whom you feel compelled to play unfairly.

the utopia that most considered a pipe dream became a feasible reality

The utopian era ended with WW1 and the industrialization of modern warfare. The 21st century has seen wave after wave of new investments in warfare, while domestic improvements and social welfare advances have ground nearly to a halt.

If there is a utopian future, it can only come with the abolition of international militarism. Otherwise, we continue to descend into generation after generation of escalating conflict and unchecked immolation of life and property.