WAR

INTRODUCTION

What is War: War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on

between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and

usually high mortality. The set of techniques used by a group to carry out war is known as

warfare. An absence of war is usually called peace. In 2003, Nobel Laureate Richard E. Smalley

identified war as the sixth biggest problems facing the society of mankind for the next fifty years.

In the 1832 treatise “On War”, Prussian military general and theoretician Carl Von Clausewitz

defined war as follows: “War is thus an act of force to compel our enemy to do our will”.

DEFINITIONS OF WAR BY SCHOLARS

❖ Hall - “When differences between states reach a point at which both parties resort to force,

or one of them does acts of violence, which by the other is considered as a breach of peace

and the relation of war is set up, in which the combatants may use regulated violence against

each other, until one of the two has been brought to accept such terms as his enemy is willing

to grant.”

❖ Starke: - “A contest between two or more states primarily through their armed forces, the

ultimate purpose of each contestant being the vanquish the other or others and impose its own

conditions of peace.”

❖ Oppenheim: - “In fact, war is an armed conflict between the two or more states, which have

aims of imposing conditions, favorable for one, on the other.”

❖ Haffman Nickerson: - “War is the use of organized force between two human groups

pursuing contradictory policies, each group seeking to impose its policy upon the other.”

❖ Lawrance:- “A contest carried on by public forces between states with the intention of ending

peaceful relations and substituting hostilities for them.”

CAUSES OF WAR:
There is rarely one single, clear cause of conflict and, ultimately, war. The causes of a war are

usually numerous, and several reasons for a conflict can be intertwined in a complicated way.

Many theories have been put forth over the years as to why wars happen, and some of the

greatest minds have offered their take on the subject.

2. Territorial Gain

3. Religion

4. Nationalism

5. Revenge

6. Civil War

7. Revolutionary War

8. Defensive War

1. ECONOMIC GAIN

Often wars are caused by one country's wish to take control of another country's wealth.

Whatever the other reasons for a war may be, there is almost always an economic motive

underlying most conflicts, even if the stated aim of the war is presented to the public as

something more noble. In pre-industrial times, the gains desired by a warring country might be

precious materials such as gold and silver, or livestock such as cattle and horses. In modern

times, the resources that are hoped to be gained from war take the form of things like oil,

minerals, or materials used in manufacturing. Some scientists believe that as the world’s

population increases and basic resources become scarce, wars will be fought more often over

fundamental essentials, such as water and food.

Historical Examples of Wars Fought for Economic Gain

• Anglo-Indian Wars (1766-1849) – The Anglo-Indian wars were a series of wars fought

between the British East India Company and different Indian states. These wars led to the

establishment of British colonial rule in India, which gave Britain unrestricted access to

exotic and valuable resources native to the Indian continent.

• Finnish-Soviet War or "The Winter War" (1939-1940) – Stalin and his Soviet Army

wanted to mine Nickel and Finland, but when the Finnish refused, the Soviet Union waged war

on the country.

2. TERRITORIAL GAIN

A country might decide that it needs more land, either for living space, agricultural use, or other
purposes. Territory can also be used as “buffer zones” between two hostile enemies. Related

to buffer zones are proxy wars. These are conflicts that are fought indirectly between opposing

powers in a third country. Each power supports the side which best suits their logistical,

military, and economic interests. Proxy wars were particularly common during the Cold War.

Historical Examples of Wars Fought for Territorial Gain

• Mexican-American War (1846-1848) – This war was fought following the annexation of

Texas, with Mexico still claiming the land as their own. The U.S. outfought the Mexicans,

retaining Texas and incorporating it as a state.

• Serbo-Bulgarian War (1885-1886) – Bulgaria and Serbia fought over a small border town

after the river creating the border between the countries moved.

• Arab-Israeli War or "Six Day War" (1967-1988) – Israeli forces took the territories of

the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, from Jordan.

3. RELIGION

Religious conflicts often have very deep roots. They can lie dormant for decades, only to reemerge in
a flash at a later date. Religious wars can often be tied to other reasons for conflict,

such as nationalism or revenge for a perceived historical slight in the past. While different

religions fighting against each other can be a cause of war, different sects within a religion (for

example, Protestant and Catholic, or Sunni and Shiite) battling against one another can also

instigate war.

Historical Examples of Wars Fought for Religion

• The Crusades (1095-1291) – The Crusades were a series wars sanctioned by the Latin

Church during the medieval age. The aim of crusaders was to expel Islam and spread

Christianity.

• Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) – When Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II tried to

impose Roman Catholicism on the people of his domains, a faction of Protestants from the

north banded together, sparking war.

• Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) – The Lebanese Civil War was primarily sparked from

conflicts between the Sunni Muslim, Shiite Muslim and Christian Lebanese populations.

• Yugoslav Wars (1991-1995) – The Yugoslav wars consisted of the Croatian War and the

Bosnian War. The wars were fought between the orthodox Catholic and Muslim
populations of former Yugoslavia.

• Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005) – This ethnoreligious war was caused by the

Muslim central government's choice to impose sharia law on Non-Muslim southerners.

4. NATIONALISM

Nationalism in this context essentially means attempting to prove that your country is superior

to another by violent subjugation. This often takes the form of an invasion. Dr. Richard Ned

Lebow, Professor of International Political Theory at the Department of War Studies, Kings

College London, contends that while other causes of war may be present, nationalism, or

spirit, is nearly always a factor. In his essay "Most wars are not fought for reasons of security

or material interests, but instead reflect a nation's spirit," he writes: assumes security is the

principal motive of states and insecurity the major cause of war. Following Plato and Aristotle,

I posit spirit, appetite and reason as fundamental drives with distinct goals. There can be little

doubt that the spirit is the principal cause of war across the centuries." Related to nationalism

is imperialism, which is built on the idea that conquering other countries is glorious and brings

honor and esteem to the conqueror. Racism can also be linked to nationalism, as can be seen

in Hitler’s Germany. Adolf Hitler went to war with Russia partly because the Russians (and

eastern Europeans in general) were seen as Slavs, or a group of people who the Nazis believed

to be an inferior race.

Historical Examples of Wars Fought for Nationalism

• Chichimeca War (1550-1590) – The Chichimeca war was one of many wars fought during

the Spanish conquest of the Aztec civilization in modern day Mexico.

• World War I (1914-1918) – Extreme loyalty and patriotism caused many countries to

become involved in the first world war. Many pre-war Europeans believed in the cultural,

economic and military supremacy of their nation.

5. REVENGE

Seeking to punish, redress a grievance, or simply strike back for a perceived slight can often

be a factor in the waging of war. Revenge also relates to nationalism, as the people of a country

which has been wronged are motivated to fight back by pride and spirit. Unfortunately, this

can lead to an endless chain of retaliatory wars being set in motion which is very difficult to

stop. Historically, revenge has been a factor in many European wars.

Historical Examples of Wars Fought for Revenge

domination of the European continent were direct results of the Treaty of Versailles, which

imposed strict punishments on Germany.

• War on Terror – The September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001

prompted President George W. Bush to initiate a war on terror. This global war began with

an invasion of Iraq and is ongoing.

6. CIVIL WAR

These generally take place when there is sharp internal disagreement within a country. The

disagreement can be about who rules, how the country should be run or the people's rights.

These internal rifts often turn into chasms that result in violent conflict between two or more

opposing groups. Civil wars can also be sparked by separatist groups who want to form their

own, independent country, or, as in the case of the American Civil War, states wanting to

secede from a larger union.

Historical Examples of Civil Wars

army and the Confederate army as a result of the long-standing controversy over slavery.

• Russian Civil War (1917-1923) – The Russian Civil War followed immediately after the

Russian Revolution, with the Red Army and the White Army vying to determine Russia's

political future.

• Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) – The Spanish Civil War was fought between the

Republicans, who were loyal to the left-leaning Second Spanish Republic, and the

Nationalists, a largely aristocratic conservative group led by General Francisco Franco.

• Korean War (1950-1953) – The Korean War was a war fought between North Korea,

which was supported by China, and South Korea, which was supported primarily by the

United States.

7. REVOLUTIONARY WAR

These occur when a large section of the population of a country revolts against the individual

or group that rules the country because they are dissatisfied with their leadership. Revolutions

can begin for a variety of reasons, including economic hardship amongst certain sections of

the population or perceived injustices committed by the ruling group. Other factors can
contribute too, such as unpopular wars with other countries. Revolutionary wars can easily

descend into civil wars.

Historical Examples of Revolutionary Wars

• Portuguese Restoration War (1640-1668) – The Portuguese revolution ended the 60-

year rule of Portugal by Spain.

• American Revolution (1775-1783) – The American Revolution gave the 13 North

American colonies independence from British rule and established the United States of

America.

• French Revolution (1789-1799) – The French Revolution was a battle that represented

the rise of the bourgeoisie and the downfall of the aristocracy in France.

• Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) – The Haitian Revolution was a successful slave

rebellion that established Haiti as the first free black republic.

8. DEFENSIVE WAR

In the modern world, where military aggression is more widely questioned, countries will

often argue that they are fighting in a purely defensive capacity against an aggressor, or

potential aggressor, and that their war is therefore a “just” war. These defensive wars can be

especially controversial when they are launched preemptively, the argument essentially being

that: “We are attacking them before they inevitably attack us.”

Historical Examples of Defensive Wars

• Iraqi Conflict (2003-Present) – An international coalition, led by the US, invaded Iraq on

the grounds that the country's leader, Saddam Hussein, was developing weapons of mass

destruction, and therefore presented a threat to surrounding countries and rest of the world.

The war was controversial as the allegations made about the weapons of mass destruction

made by the US and UK were shown to lack substance.