CAUSES OF WAR & INJUSTICE
War as a continuation of politics
War is the conflict carried on by force of arms
between nations or states. In a more ironic sense, it is a continuation
of politics through additional means.
Throughout history, wars have resulted in staggering
numbers of deaths.
Wars are due to clash of interests where dialogue, compromise and
arbitration are either not attempted, or seen as not resolving the
issues. It is, of course, the antithesis of world peace.
It is human nature to narrow the cause of a particular war down
to one or two issues. However, most wars are a mixture of many factors.
This makes achieving world peace a difficult process that needs
to happen on individual, community, national and international levels.
CAUSES OF WAR
Human nature
We have evolved as the dominant species on earth
through ‘survival of the fittest’. Some argue that aggession and
war is part of our nature as we have been shaped to use violence
and aggression over millions of years. Many would claim we simply
are not hard-wired for world peace in our genetic coding. Click
here
to read more about human nature as a cause of war.
Social nature
Human nature naturally leads us to form groups
based on race, cultural background, religion, nationality in a way
that inflames passions when disputes arise. Examples are the Bosnians
versus Serbians, Israelis versus the Palestinians, and Protestants
versus Catholics. Proponents of world peace believe seeing ourselves
as global citizens can reduce war.
Culture of violence
The world is still dominated by aggressive influences.
A trillion US dollars is spent annually on the military around the
world. Violence is often glorified in entertainment, religion, history
and culture. A simple exercise is to compare the number of films
that highlight non-violence and world peace initiatives compared
to those promoting violence as a way to resolve issues.
Desire for another’s resources
History has a long record of nations battling
to possess what belongs to others. Hundreds of years ago colonial
powers such as England, France, Spain, Holland and Portugal fought
each other to ‘own’ parts of Africa, Asia and the Americas. Owning
or controlling gold, minerals, oil, and gas have played a part in
many recent conflicts.
Propaganda
Hatred of other nations, religions and ethnic
backgrounds has been skillfully manipulated by political leaders
throughout history. Propaganda stated that German soldiers raped
nuns and virgins in World War 1. Iranian clerics state the USA is
the great Satan, committed to the destruction of Islam and the Middle
East. In its turn, the USA invaded Iraq on charges of nuclear weapons
which proved untrue then said at least they overturned a dictator
(ignoring they fact they have supported far worse dictators in Latin
America!). Click here
to read more about propaganda.
Gender
Biologists and psychologists find there is a clear
link between the male gender and violence. While it is naive to
suggest we would have no wars if women ran the world (remember Margaret
Thatcher and Joan of Arc!), a world that values women equally and
allows political access will have more opportunities to resolve
conflict peacefully.
Neo-colonialism
Many argue that colonialism is now practiced as
neo-colonialism, where dominant powers can still dominate poor countries
through free
trade agreements, the International
Monetary Fund, the World
Bank, cultural influence and ‘just’
wars. Many believe that this is a factor in terrorism directed
at the USA by third world countries, and a major reason for the
USA’s involvement in the Iraq war.
Inequality
Poverty has caused many conflicts, particularly
when it is the result of oppression or injustice by a dominant group.
15% of the wealthy nations own 80% of the world’s wealth. 20% of
the poor countries only own 2% of the world’s wealth.
Ideology
Political ideology has caused many wars, particularly
when the ideology advocates violent overthrow as the only means
to better society. In creating Communism, Karl Marx stated that
conflict and revolution were necessary for the working class to
achieve the perfect society.
Alliances
Nations naturally group together to protect themselves
from those who are different to them. A political assassination
in Bosnia was all it took to cause the deaths of 15 million people.
This event triggered a series of wars between many countries as
each entered due to alliances that had been formed, resulting in
World War 1.
Lack of democracy
Accountability means democratic nations find it
more difficult to go to war. They not only have to provide reasons
(or excuses!) but are more likely to be held accountable for abuses,
such as the torture of Iraqi suspects by US soldiers. Though no
guarantee of world peace, the rule of law will inevitably be more
peaceful than the rule of force.
Religions
Religions have been a cause of war. Some argue
that we would have less war if religion was abolished, while others
argue religion has often tempered our aggressive nature. The major
religions today often advocate for world peace. However it cannot
be denied that religion is still a major cause of many wars, and
lends a fanatical edge to many atrocities.
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