Simply put, war is where two (or more) groups of people who have disagreeing beliefs engage in violent conflict that usually ends in the losing group being forced to agree/put up with the winning group. People fight for every reason imaginable – over who actually owns a plot of land, to conquer other nations, or to stop injustices. But is war necessary?
Yes.
However, there are many conditions attached to the “Yes.” The most important thing anyone has to realize is that war is a final resort. If agreement can be reached through any other nonviolent means, by all means, both sides should at least attempt it. However, if one side is actively oppressing its citizens by means of force, such as discrimination and persecution based on religion, ethnicity, or other factors, and a bloodless revolution is not possible, direct intervention is necessary. Additionally, if retaliation must occur to stop one side from attacking the other, and negotiation is impossible, the defending side has the right to defend – but not to the point of killing innocents or invading.
Even though everyone must defend oneself, it is a moral conundrum. Is it right to fight back if provoked? If you are attacked, and you damage your opponent more than he damaged you, is it offensive or defensive? Is harming anyone morally right? Consider the dogma “an eye for an eye”. Does it really work? These are questions posed by those who think deeply about war. The concept of an “equal and opposite reaction” will never work, because people will always want more revenge. If someone kills your son because you killed his, you’ll definitely want revenge; even though it is rationally “equal”, humans just don’t work that way, and will always want more.
Countries work in the same way, since they’re just a group of humans who decide what the majority wants. Once again, non-violent negotiations would be ideal in defusing a situation, but if war is inevitable, action is necessary. Nevertheless, this action should be quick and effective, so as to allow for a new, favorable government to rise without trouble. If it will save the lives of thousands that might be lost to an extended war, then by all means, it should be done. Only if it is agreed by a majority of nations that the offending country is in need of a regime change due to open hostilities and oppression, the decapitation of its government might be what is necessary. Once again, this is if and only if the government:
-Does not comply with the Geneva Convention
-Is openly hostile to other countries and threatens to use military force
-Is opposed by a majority of its citizens
-Will not cease inhumanities and/or step down from power
As I’ve repeated myself several times, war should be avoided at all costs. Each nation or groups of nations must strive towards peace through efficient negotiations, with war only as a last resort. Sure, even though this might be hard if two superpowers are viciously attempting to gain the upper hand, many of the oppressive and aggressive nations today are almost like small dogs – they’re small packages of vicious fury – but can be taught their place.
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