Can war ever be justified?
War is the act of conflict between two or more countries or groups due to a particular reason. In the past, war has ended in many tragedies and caused long-lasting effects for all countries involved. This has caused it to become a global ethical debate as there are arguments to justify and oppose the act of war. In some cases, war could be justified such as to prevent an act against another country from occurring causing the act of war to be necessary. In this essay, I will give arguments that can justify war and the counterarguments that oppose the act of war.
One argument is that a war can be justified when it's necessary for a country to protect itself from foreseeable danger. One of the most common types of threats is invasion which involves an opposing country entering another territory and attempting to take control and occupy another country. In this case, using armed forces to defend a country is required, if the conflict cannot be resolved, to prevent a detrimental effect from occurring. This argument is supported by the theory of libertarianism which states that humans can make decisions as long as we don't harm others. The act of invading another country to take control is a decision that will have a harmful effect on many others so protecting a country from invasion with war is required. The counter-argument to this is that conflicts can be ended without war. The United Nations is an organization that prevents the act of war between countries by bringing peace. This organization has had many successful attempts to end the conflict. An example of this was the Egypt-Israel war when the United Nations deployed forces on the Egyptian side of the border to bring peace and end the act of war ( HYPERLINK 'https: peacekeeping. un. organ United Nations Peacekeeping). This is one of many examples that show how conflicts can be resolved and ended without the necessity of war.
Another argument is a revolutionary war which can end suffering for many people as it can end dictatorship in a country. A revolutionary war is when a large section of the population of a country revolt against the group or individual that rules the country. This can be due to a leader ruling a country with a dictatorship and imposing strict rules on the citizens. Dictatorship usually results in disapproval from the majority of the country's citizens and a revolutionary war ending the rule of a dictator. In this case, war can be justified as it will bring the greater good for the rest of the country. Utilitarianism supports this argument as the end result of a revolutionary war would lead to the greater good for a country's citizens. On the other hand, a revolutionary war can divide the unity of a country which results in the collapse of stability. A revolutionary war can also end in many tragedies and deaths causing suffering for many. The Croatian War of Independence resulted in over 15,000 casualties in 1991-1995 ( HYPERLINK 'http:www.wikipedia.org' www.wikipedia.org). This is one of many examples that show how revolutionary wars cause suffering and conflict. Utilitarianism also shows that revolutionary wars will not result in the greater good and will only cause harm.
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Protecting an ally during times of war can also be a justification for war as agreements are made to aid countries that have an alliance. An alliance is an association between countries for beneficial reasons. Once an alliance is formed countries must remain loyal by supporting each other in difficult situations. An example of this was the Triple Entente (Great Britain, France, and Russia) and the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and other allies) in World War 1 (Home - BBC Bitesize). These allies would bring troops together to fight at war. The counter-argument to this is that countries can still support their allies by providing supplies. More tragedies may occur if other countries intervene in the act of war, and this was shown by the Russian Civil War which cost as many as 12 million lives ( HYPERLINK 'http:www.historyextra.com' www.historyextra.com). Supporting an ally with beneficial resources at war (e.g. financial support) is an alternative to causing more suffering by intervening in war. This counter-argument links to the theory of utilitarianism as the result will only lead to more deaths and tragedies.
The final argument is that countries may need to protect vital resources from other countries. An example of this is the conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia. Ethiopia has planned to construct a dam on the Nile River to produce electricity. The construction of this dam will lead to water shortages for countries North of the river like Egypt and Sudan. Egypt has attempted negotiations with Ethiopia however the situation hasn't improved (www.al-monitor.com). In cases like this, war may be justified as if negotiations cannot be reached then this will have a great impact on the water supply for many countries. This links to the theory of libertarianism as Ethiopia's decisions will affect many others. The counterargument to this is that most conflicts where vital resources need to be protected can be resolved with negotiations. A conflict such as this is not causing direct harm to other countries as harm can easily be prevented but Ethiopia has decided not to act on it. Therefore, in situations like this, agreements should be reached to avoid conflict escalating and resulting in war.
In conclusion, I believe that war should be avoided at all costs as the result is only destruction and suffering. In war, the winner is always a loser as there are detrimental effects that will always be with a country. War can affect a country's economy and bring misery to all the people that have been affected. War should always be the last option for a country if negotiations cannot be reached and there are no solutions. The world should be united and bring peace instead of creating unnecessary violence. Organizations like the United Nations have succeeded in attempts to achieve this goal. This should be one of many examples to show that this can be achieved if an effort is made to end the war.
Bibliography of sources
- www.wikipedia.orgwww.historyextra.comwww.al-monitor.comUnited Nations PeacekeepingHome - BBC Bitesize
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