4 of 37

Write now Article Tools

"Causes of armed conflicts"

Is this about one neighbor upsetting another and the other gets a gun and blows the first's brains into the next county? This would be an "armed conflict".

This topic, as worded, is too fuzzy to properly address. I think I prefer, "Reasons for War". Isn't that what everyone has been writing to anyway?

What reasons are there for war? They are, believe it or not, few, yet powerful.

Lust for Power
Many call this greed, and it is in a sense, but it is so much more. Saddam did not invade Kuwait just for the money, oil, and land. Hitler in WWII wasn't invading Austria, France, and Poland just for their wealth and land. The "Crusades" weren't just about liberating the Holy Land from the heathens.

Many consider religion to be a reason/cause for war, but actually it never has been and isn't today. Religion has been used rhetorically to support war and conflicts, to motivate the troops on the ground and convince them of the "rightness" of their actions, but it has never been more than a mask to conceal the root, Lust for Power. There are other rhetorics that have been confused with reasons, but, just as religion, these are used to motivate, justify, and rationalize the actions taken; they are not the core reason.

Power has two meanings. One deals with energy, charisma, and dynamism; the other deals with authority and control. It is the second meaning which is primary in the Lust for Power. The first meaning is a tool that is essential to utilizing said control.

Defense
The second reason to go to war is to defend; whether that be home, community, country, or way of life {specifically Freedom}. Defense can be offensive at times {get them there to prevent them from getting you here}, or defensive {they are getting us here, so we gotta fight back}. Generally war is fought with arms {firearms specifically, but the anatomical ones are necessary too}, but Ghandi showed that defense can be accomplished through Civil Disobedience {unarmed resistance} as well.

It is a sad fact that an unarmed populace is an easy target for any aggressor, whether foreign or domestic; and a sadder fact that we live in a world of violent aggressors. The saddest fact of all is that this applies at every level as we've seen in recent years. Argue with the idea of firearms in a church if you will, but the facts speak for themselves.

Rhetoric and rationale may vary, but the core reasons for war are these two. War will continue as long as its costs can be justified by those who are consumed by Lust for Power. It is only when war's cost is so unthinkably high, so abhorrent, and when those who might choose that course know with certainty that they won't survive, that we will finally be able to write War's epitaph. Until that day, war is a horrible reality we must remain prepared for. The alternative is ... Death, slavery, and/or worse. Blindness won't make War go away, it'll only prevent you from seeing War's approach until its on your doorstep.

Peace on Earth, and good will toward men. This is the desire of all people of good will, but unfortunately it is not the desire of all people.

Learn more about this author, Burke McKay.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Causes of armed conflicts?
We want to hear your view. Write now!