by Elizabeth M Young

Created on: August 31, 2009   Last Updated: September 15, 2011

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW ABOUT WARS

When the elites lose touch with the reality that they can only grant themselves a finite amount of the treasures, freedoms and resources of a nation, the masses will take action to remind them that they go too far. If the elites do not snap out of it, war, revolution and civil war will inevitably result.

In democratic nations, charismatic individuals have been able to effectively use the media and the backing of powerful elites to gain power. Extremist or unstable charismatic politicians are far more likely to push for deviant internal programs or warlike external adventurism, once they gain power.

Wars are fought for reasons that range from misunderstanding to naked aggression. In between is general dissatisfaction, rage at the elites, or ongoing conditions that become intolerable. Some wars happen because of the irrational whims of powerful rulers and elites who lose touch with reality.

When two countries attempt to resolve their disputes through diplomacy, war becomes a failure of diplomacy.

War breaks out when one country desires or needs the resources of another country and trade negotiations fail. War thus becomes a failure to negotiate a peaceful and equitable trade of resources.

 When one side far out matches the other in strength, then war comes from a failure or inability to deter or discourage an aggressor.

 In some cases, war originates in a cunning and evil intent to use war as a cover for sinister reasons: expansion of power, control over valuable resources, or simply because of a ruler's insanity. This makes war a battle of right against wrong.

THE EXAMPLE OF THE IRAQ WAR: WAS THIS A WAR OF RETALIATION OR A WAR OF AGGRESSION AND HEGEMONY?

The causes of the Iraq War are a malleable mass of truth and lies; right and wrong. Initially, Americans were ready to track down the leadership and forces behind the 9/11 attacks and to kill them. Initially, Americans believed that Iraq was the source of the aggression and held the weapons and intent of committing even more mass destruction.

 Now we know that there were lies, that the forces behind the 9/11 attacks did not come from Iraq, and that we and the Iraqi people, have lost far more than we will ever gain from our adventures there.

More distressing, we are learning that the Iraq war may have been planned far earlier than was stated, was intended to force a permanent American presence with large military bases on Iraqi soil, or was started to redistribute

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>