The answer to the question "What is war?" depends on who is answering the question. To some people small conflicts or disagreements can be defined as war as where others only define war as being full fledged military battles between two or more opposing sides. When looking up the definition of war, Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines it as "a state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations" According to this definition any armed conflict between to entities can be considered war yet conflicts such as Vietnam where thousands of people lost their lives, was never technically considered a war. Does this mean though that by the definition any minor or major conflict in which violence occurs constitutes as war? For these reasons putting a simple definition on the term is challenging and varies from different perspectives. Currently
However was isn't just fighting with weapons and judged by whoever kills more people. In some cases war can be fought indirectly with the most prevalent example being the Cold War between the Untied States and The Soviet Union. Throughout the course of this "war" neither side engaged in any direct conflict yet this was considered a war by many. This war was fought with threats of nuclear proliferation, humiliation, propaganda and the use of embargoes and blockades. The cause for this war was the clash between capitalism and communism which also gives a good example of a war being fought against an idea or belief.
A more modern example today would be the "war on terror" This war which was announced by President George Bush in 2001 after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The purpose was to locate, stop, and defeat all terrorists, and terrorist organizations. Today we still have troops stationed in Afghanistan working to meet these goals. This war though was not waged against the country of Afghanistan but rather the non-state entity being the Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. This has been ongoing now for 8 years and it appears as though little progress has been made.
The truth is that as long as people view ideas and concepts differently, there will always be conflict and there will always be war. Through thousands of years of human existence, war has been the process by which groups of people settle their problems and resolve issues and this will remain until a new effective way can be found.
Works Cited
"BBC - History - Cold War." BBC - Homepage. Web. 18 Sept. 2009.
"CNN.com Specials." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. Web. 18 Sept. 2009.
When I first started to read some of the posts, I disagreed greatly with the statements that threats between two countries could be considered war. Before reading your post I did not agree fully with this fact, but after I can now understand how people can come to that conclusion. Your statement on the “Cold War” that read, “This war was fought with threats of nuclear proliferation, humiliation, propaganda and the use of embargoes and blockades…” implies that those treats and other deeds can be just as harmful to countries as a combat war. I fully agree. Threats of nuclear proliferation from a country can cause scare and caution throughout the country. When the USSR threatened the United States, we took precautions. Students underwent drills to practice what to do in case of a bombing. Also, families all across America were afraid that any moment, they could be attacked. Embargoes could greatly affect countries’ economies. If one country or a group of countries were to reject trade efforts with a major exporting country, such country’s economy would decline greatly. Some countries greatly rely on their exports and ports to keep their country wealthy and their economy stable. If this was to falter, it could be detrimental to them and possibly their allies.
ReplyDeletePike, John. "Cold War." GlobalSecurity.org. 27 Dec. 2008. Web. 20 Sept. 2009.
I agree with a lot of things you have written in this post. You mentioned the Cold War and the "War on Terror" as examples of how war is not always the violent, military battles that most people might first think of when they have to describe war.
ReplyDeleteHowever I would like to question your closing statement which states,"The truth is that as long as people view ideas and concepts differently, there will always be conflict and there will always be war." While I think there is some truth to this, I can't help but wonder whether it is the ideas and concepts that we agree on the most are what bring us to war?
An example would be the conflict that has occurred between the Jews, Christians, and Muslims as each battle for the “Holy Land” in Israel. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in actuality are extremely similar to each other. The Torah, Bible, and Qur'an all have some of the same stories in them, such as the story of Adam & Eve, Abraham & Issac, and David. While they definitely all have their distinct differences, their roots are the same and ultimately it is the same God that they all worship. The holiness of this land (of which all three religions agree is true) has been the driving force behind the Crusades, the 1948 Palestine War, and other conflicts that continue to occur to the present day.
So what has caused more conflict? Our similarities or our differences? A mix of both I think, however, I think our similarities have definitely played a bigger role than more people care to think.