War

International Relations- BA, LL.B II

year
2017 pattern
 What is a war ?
• A war is typically fought by a country or group
of countries against an opposing country with
the aim of achieving an objective through the
use of force.
• Wars can also be fought within a country in
the form of a civil or revolutionary war

Avoiding war is a must for International Peace

and security
 Definition..
According to the Oxford English Dictionary,
"war" is defined as
• A state of armed conflict between different
countries or different groups within a country
• A state of competition or hostility between
different people or groups.
• A sustained campaign against an undesirable
situation or activity.
 Causes..

There is rarely one

single, clear cause of
conflict and, ultimately,
war.
 Main Causes of War
• Economic Gain
• Territorial Gain
• Religion
• Nationalism
• Revenge
• Civil War
• Revolutions
• Defensive Actions
 Economic Reasons
• Often wars are caused by one country's wish to
take control of another country's wealth.
• An economic motive underlying most conflicts,
even if the stated aim of the war is presented to
the public as something more noble
• In pre-industrial times, the gains desired by a
warring country might be precious materials such
as gold and silver, or livestock such as cattle and
horses.
 Warning
• As the world’s population increases and basic
resources become scarce, wars will be fought more
often over fundamental essentials, such as water and
food.
E.G. Anglo-Indian Wars (1766-1849) – The Anglo-Indian
wars were a series of wars fought between the British
East India Company and different Indian states. These
wars led to the establishment of British colonial rule in
India
Finnish-Soviet War or "The Winter War" (1939-1940) –
Stalin and his Soviet Army wanted to mine Nickel in
Finland, but when the Finnish refused, the Soviet Union
waged war on the country
 Territorial Gain
• A country might decide that it needs more land,
either for living space, agricultural use, or other
purposes
• Buffer zones
• Proxy wars (Kargil Conflict of 1998)
• E.g.-Mexican-American War (1846-1848) – This
war was fought following the annexation of Texas,
with Mexico still claiming the land as their own.
• Arab-Israeli War or " (1967-1988) – Israeli forces
took the territories of the West Bank, including
East Jerusalem, from Jordan
 Religion

• Religious conflicts often have very deep roots.

They can lie dormant for decades, only to
re-emerge in a flash at a later date.
• Religious wars can often be tied to other reasons
for conflict, such as nationalism or revenge for a
perceived historical slight in the past
• Different sects within a religion (for example,
Protestant and Catholic, or Sunni and Shiite)
battling against one another can also instigate
war.
 Examples of Wars over Religion
• The Crusades (1095-1291) – The Crusades were a
series wars sanctioned by the Latin Church during
the medieval age. The aim of crusaders was to
expel Islam and spread Christianity
• Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) – The Lebanese
Civil War was primarily sparked from conflicts
between the Sunni Muslim, Shiite Muslim and
Christian Lebanese populations.
• Iran Iraq war-1980-1988
 Nationalism

• Nationalism in this context essentially means

attempting to prove that your country is
superior to another by violent subjugation.
• Most wars are not fought for reasons of
security or material interests but instead
reflect a nation’s spirit.
• Security is the principal motive of states and
insecurity the major cause of war.
 Nationalism
Related to nationalism is imperialism, which is
built on the idea that conquering other
countries is glorious and brings honor and
esteem to the conqueror.

Racism can also be linked to nationalism, as can

be seen in Hitler’s Germany
World War I (1914-1918) – Extreme loyalty and
patriotism caused many countries to become
involved in the first world war. Many pre-war
Europeans believed in the cultural, economic
and military supremacy of their nation
 Revenge
• Seeking to punish, redress a grievance, or
simply strike back for a perceived slight can
often be a factor in the waging of war.
• Revenge also relates to nationalism
• Can lead to an endless chain of retaliation
wars
 Examples
• World War II (1939-1945) – The rise of the Nazi
Socialist Party and Germany's eventual
domination of the European continent- result of
the Treaty of Versailles, which imposed strict
sanctions on Germany.
• War on Terror – The September 11th attacks on
the World Trade Center in 2001 prompted
President George W. Bush to initiate a war on
terror. This global war began with an invasion of
Iraq and is ongoing in some form or the other in
different parts of the world.
 Internal Unrest- Civil War
• Sharp internal disagreement within a country
• The disagreement can be about who rules,
how the country should be run or the people's
rights.
• Violent conflict between two or more
opposing groups.
• American Civil War (1861-1865) - The American Civil
War was fought by the Union army and the
Confederate army as a result of the long-standing
controversy over slavery.
• Russian Civil War (1917-1923) – The Russian Civil War
followed immediately after the Russian Revolution,
with the Red Army and the White Army vying to
determine Russia's political future
• Korean War (1950-1953) – The Korean War was a war
fought between North Korea, which was supported by
China, and South Korea, which was supported
primarily by the United States
 Revolution
• When a large section of the population of a
country revolts against the individual or group
that rules the country because they are
dissatisfied with their leadership.
• Reasons: Economic hardship for some sections of
the population, injustices committed by the ruling
group, unpopular wars with other countries.
• Revolutionary wars can easily convert into civil
wars.
• Portuguese Restoration War (1640-1668) – The
Portuguese revolution ended the 60-year rule of
Portugal by Spain.
• American Revolution (1775-1783) – The American
Revolution gave the 13 North American colonies
independence from British rule and established
the United States of America.
• French Revolution (1789-1799) – The French
Revolution was a battle that represented the rise
of the bourgeoisie and the downfall of the
aristocracy in France
 Self- Defense
• Fighting in a purely defensive capacity against
an aggressor, or potential aggressor, and that
their war is therefore a “just” war.
• First perspective -We are attacking them
before they inevitably attack us.
• Second perspective-We are defending our
position
• E.g. Kargil War of 1998