War has played a major role in human history, whether war is raging or not. During peace-time the military prepares for war, while society absorbs the cost. Some theories consider war to be an integral part of the essence of humankind while others consider war to be the result of specific economic or ecological conditions.
Philosophers have wrestled with the concept of being “human” for centuries. Do we have an essence, a nature, which causes us to start wars and be self-destructive?
 | Carl von Clausewitz, the famous nineteenth century Prussian general who fought against Napoleon’s army, compared war to commerce: “a conflict of human interests and activities.” |
During his later years Clausewitz evolved his thinking and concluded that war is an instrument and an extension of politics. His book On War was published a year after his death in 1832 and is still considered the definitive study of warfare.
War can’t have a purpose in itself. “Thus, war is an act of violence in order to force our will upon the enemy.War is not merely a political act, but a real political instrument, a continuation of the political process, an application by other means.” |
The military objectives in war that support one’s political objectives fall into two broad types: “war to achieve limited aims” and war to “disarm” the enemy: “to render politically helpless or militarily impotent.” |
All else being equal, the course of war will tend to favor the party with the stronger emotional and political motivations, especially the defender. |
Wars have been waged for thousands of years. Why?
- Greed is the most common reason why one country invades another. History is full of examples where a country with fewer resources attacks a country with more. A good example of attacks done for economic gain is the raids that the Vikings did in England and France and the colonization by many European countries towards the end of the medieval era.
- Territory: conquering territory means more influence, power and wealth.
- Religion: the cause of many wars including Crusades, The Thirty Years’ War, The Eighty Years’ War, The Arab Conquests, and many others.
- Nationalism: Wars fought for independence, insurgency and ethnic conflicts, based on the belief that loyalty and devotion to blood and soil are more important that other interests.
- Revenge is a base human motive and also a frequent purpose for war. A classic example is the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Serbia which led to World War I. One could attribute the US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan after the attack on the World Trade towers on 9/11 to revenge.
These triggers for war are fueled by emotion more than logic. The war in Ukraine, started by Russia in February 2022, touches on all the above including religion. Putin often invokes the prophecy of a Russian empire, Russia,Ukraine and Belarus known as the Holy Rus.
The Russian people need
to do what is necessary!