Main Causes of War, Political Differences and Violence - Essay Example

Abdulaziz Alemadi ENG108 12:00 15 Final draft CAUSES OF WAR I will discuss war as a phenomenon that has stretched over the nations of the world, giving examples of some of the major nations where war have been experienced. There are a number of ways in which war has been able to manifest itself including its causes, effects, and consequences as they have been evident in the nations under consideration. Its outcomes, both long-term and short-term, can be quite different for countries that fail to embrace peace. Similarly, the views on the possible causes of war between nations, in a country, or across communities are often opposing. Along these, there are challenges facing these views basing on facts and evidence and I think some should be rejected as far as the study of war is concerned. The history knows a number of wars that were documented across the world. The following includes the First and Second World Wars, the war between USA and Afghanistan – all brought losses of people and destruction of property. The causes of war are numerous and can include political differences, power and economic struggles. Subsequently, the aim of this paper is to explore different causes and kinds of war in the various regions of the world and show that conflict, civil unrest and violence constitute a main ground to start a confrontation. There have always been numerous reports about war and conflicts in different parts of the world with regrettable outcomes. A war can occur between groups of people, countries or even regions. Each of the mentioned kinds and every particular case have their specific reasons for the occurrence. Although quite different, roots of the war are always associated with a kind of a conflict. It, therefore, means that a war comes up as a result of a conflict between the two distinct parties starting a confrontation, regardless of what constituted a ground for the appearance of a conflict or its further scale. As a whole, both the variety of possible causes of war and their kinds are important topics to be investigated and analyzed. Countries can enter an international conflict finding themselves in antagonism. (Ikenbery 173). In this case, the whole population of a country appears to be involved and the victory is ensured by armies fighting in the front lines and citizens backing them in a variety of ways. There are numbers of factors that encourage conflicts to take place and those that may prevent a conflict from erupting. Some events are known to lead to an occurrence of war and other events can bring about peace and reconciliation, preventing conflicts to come in. Naturally, consequences and effects of wars, particularly civil wars, are visible. Examples of both, short term and long term ones, which impose their effects on all the parties involved, could be seen in different nations. A number of some opposing views on the roots of both local and international conflicts have been identified and there are convincing views on why those views should be rejected. To start with, civil wars have always been evident in different nations of the world, especially the leading economies of the world, caused by various reasons such as economic and social differences. Some of the great nations of the world have found themselves in the war due to the desire to control some key inputs and production materials. This is brought about by the key interest to increase their levels of national production and imports of the world market, so as to earn more in the foreign exchange. Due to the selfish interest and economic targets by these nations, they are forced to play some dirty games that will ensure other competitive nations for the same product to fall out. The following, in its turn, leads to war between the parties in question, for example, the war between Israel and Gaza to own the boundary between them, which is said to have a lot of petroleum products. Furthermore, political differences and violence can form a strong basis for the appearance of a war. Namely, the history knows examples when slave and non-slave state proponents entered a conformation due to existing differences in ideologies and slave policies among the states. (Gilpin 147). During colonialism, some powerful countries were able to colonize others and in the process capture them for the slave trade. With time, those countries captured as slaves were able to get independence and pull out of their colonialists, expecting their citizens to be freed from the slavery. Some colonialists became resistible which led to a conflict between them and the other newly independent nations whose citizens are held captive. Apart from that, some nations in the world experience realities of a war due to political differences and leadership, especially during times general of elections, where some rigging processes are likely to take place. When elections are rigged, those parties whose votes have been rigged and declared losers tend to respond in violent ways leading to war between them and the state. This has mostly been reported in many 3rd world countries where voting processes are easily influenced in favor of a political party siding by the government in question. In different nations of the world, wars have been reported to be rising due to tribalism among its citizen, which at times is triggered by the incitement by their leaders. Due to ethnocentrism, some communities end up divided into ethnic lines as a result of one community viewing itself more superior than the other. The communities in question end up fighting one another, mainly by the use of their warriors and children while women take part in preparing meals and other foodstuffs for those at war. War has always had a lot of consequences and effects to those parties involved, having environmental effects, and both long term and short term effects. War has led to significant depopulations, for example, in Germany the population was reduced by 30% during the thirty-year war In Europe. During the war, those involved at the war front end up losing their lives, animals, plants, villages and towns get destroyed, leading to the high loss of property, and this is a short term effect (Blainey 231). The Economies of the major countries involved in war end up falling and inflation taking over, as a result of withdrawals of foreign investors, donor support, fall in national output and weakening of the local currency in the long term. An interesting point is that some critics oppose the view that wars are never caused by political differences and power struggles, claiming that the war is a natural phenomenon. Yet, one cannot classify war as natural phenomena since its an event resulting from a well-planned and structured activity of individuals or nations. For the war to take place, there must be some disagreements between those involved for peace and harmony can never lead to war. Due to selfish interests and greedy by some individual wanting to remain in power, as opposed to the will of the electorates, the citizens will always conduct some demonstrations that in turn lead to violence. Some also tend to argue that economic prospects never lead to war, believing that some areas are prone to conflict due to other factors other than economic. The world’s best economies will always try to retain their powerful economic positions by extending their influence on the most useful factors of production. In this case, they will use any available means if the dialogue fails to work, to ensure that they eliminate any nation that comes into control of those limited resources. Conflicts as phenomena have terrible consequences and outcomes whenever it happens in a country or between nations. Some of the causes of conflict can be minimized to zero level if indeed we care about our lives, families, animals, plants and the environment, in general. Both the long term and short term effects of war have never been desirable to either of the parties involved in it since nations are forced to take other decades in retrieving their economic paths. Our tribal, community, political and national leaders should, for this reason, play a major role in embracing and preaching peace whenever they find themselves in the platforms addressing their followers. I oppose those views that explain war as a natural phenomenon. I also oppose claiming that war cannot be caused by economic prospects, power struggles and political differences. Works Cited Blainey, J. The Causes of War. 3rd. London: Free Press, 2008. Print. Gilpin, R. War and Change in World Politics. Reprint. Cambridge University Press: New York, 1983. Print. Ikenbery, G. J. After Victory: Institutions, Strategic Restraint, and the Rebuilding of Order After Major Wars. New York: Princeton University Press, 2000. Print. Grade Sheet for Causal Argument Student Abdulaziz Alemadi Class _ 12 noon The grade sheet designed to show you what you did well on this paper and what the problem areas were. Strong Good Adequate Not Very Good Weak or Missing Goal: Make Clear Causal Relationships Clear thesis includes three compelling reasons that support the claim showing cause and effect; easy to find (at end of intro) x Goal: Consideration for the Reader Introduction engages the reader with interesting information or background information x Topic sentences clearly relate to the thesis. x Paragraphs developed, which elaborate on the topic sentence; careful use of transitional devices. Has checked writing mechanics carefully; paper closely proofread. x Conclusion returns to the thesis. Includes brief summary of main points; includes a provocative insight, quotation, and/or question. x Provides a variety of sentences: short, long, medium; sentences are clear and concise in meaning. Title is developed and hints at topic of paper. x Goal: Anticipate and Refute Objections Provides and addresses alternative viewpoints. The writer successfully refutes or concedes those views. x Goal: Interpret, Incorporate, and Integrate Sources Uses a variety of sources to support claims from various sources. Ideas explained sufficiently. x Goal: Use Correct MLA Format Cites sources accurately in correct MLA style. Sources in the paper match the Works Cited page. Works Cited page is on a separate page at the end x Paper formatted accurately, using Times New Roman, 12 point font, double spacing and pages numbered. Pages numbered correctly. - x Dear Abdulaziz, There are several interesting insights and ideas here about the causes of war. The paper shows good focus. The weakness of the writing interferes with the communication of those ideas. What I could understand about your view of war, I liked. Attention to drafting more than one thesis surely help to make your argument as good as your underlying ideas. That said, the paper could be improved with a developed evaluation thesis. This area will significantly help in directing and forwarding your argument to the reader. Also, take care with sentences. You have a tendency to be a bit in your prose. As you revise, focus on cutting as many unnecessary words and phrases as possible. You should consider getting help from the Writing Center. As you write your last paper, I encourage you to work on issues I’ve identified here and in the essay. For these reasons, your paper earns a B grade. Sincerely, Dr. Myles Read More