The Dalai Lama is opposed to usage and stockpiling of weapons of mass destruction and supports demilitarization. In 1998, he pledged his support to the People's Republic of China's proposal to ban all weapons of mass destruction. The Dalai Lama opposes wars; however, perhaps due to sensitivity to the US, he did not oppose the War in Iraq, saying that it was too soon to tell whether the end result for good was worth the harm it would cause. Similarly, he does not oppose the use of force for good. He accepts that certain wars were for the benefit of civilization & democracy: WWII, Korean War, Afghanistan. He does however espouse that non-violence in the long-term is more effective. He blames the world's powers for wars and believes that they are simply an old habit.