Non-Violence or not?

According to Gandhi, “Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.” To Gandhi, non-violence was the method with which to achieve a nations means. By using non-violence he believed that citizens could be protected and kept away from evil, and society could be united. However it is important to realize that Hammurabi definitely did not agree with this. In the last two chapters, it is clear that Hammurabi is more idolized that he is criticized or hurt. Mieroop argues that the way in which to bring justice and peace to a society, it is important to use violent methods in order to eventually bring about peace. We can see this in the way in which Hammurabi uses his military to overtake lands of neighboring areas, especially because he sees those individuals as threats to his citizens and land. But it is true that even after he was able to overtake these areas, he made sure he was involved in the matters of the citizens, by settling their disputes and disagreements and making sure that societal laws were followed. Hammurabi was able to disprove the idea that non violence is the only way to bring about peace and success, and that even with some violence, he justified it by eventually garnering peace in the nation.