Can wars really solve problems?

From the birth of mankind we have been at war in one way or another. We have fought against
nature for food or each other for land and resources. It is interesting when you look back and ask yourself, why? Maybe war is just a part of us that we cannot
escape and it is embedded in our nature. I have heard people say that nobody wins a war! Is this true, do both sides lose? I agree that it is painful for both sides; both the loser and victor alike will carry scares for the rest of their lives.

Take a step back away from politics and religion, and imagine earth without mankind on it. Do you see the earth as a peaceful place? Now before you say yes, take a closer look. Now in my view of earth without mankind, the planet is still bursting with life and there are many types, fish in the sea, animals walking on the earth and birds in the sky. Now look even closer, do you see how they are divided into two basic groups? Yes all the different types of life are either predator or prey therefore we need to understand that wars are fought for a number of different reasons, namely political tension, resource control, or religious reasons but at the end of it all, in these wars people die and many lives are ruined. More often than not, the cons of a war out weigh the pros.

To give you a rough Idea of the magnitude of casualties which have been experienced in the past. World War One left Europe devastated. Those countries that had fought in it, had suffered casualties never experienced before: Britain 750,000 soldiers killed; 1,500,000 wounded, France : 1,400,000 soldiers killed; 2,500,000 wounded, Belgium : 50,000 soldiers killed, Italy : 600,000 soldiers killed, Russia : 1,700,000 soldiers killed and America : 116,000 soldiers killed. Those who had fought against the Allies suffered heavy casualties as well: Germany : 2,000,000 soldiers killed, Austria-Hungary : 1,200,000 soldiers killed, Turkey : 325,000 soldiers killed, Bulgaria : 100,000 soldiers killed. The total deaths of all nations who fought in the war is thought to have been 8.5 million with 21 million being wounded.

I will start off by giving you a general definition of war then my own definition of what I think war is according to my critical thought process and then leave you to make up your own definition. “War is the means of obtaining a political goal by any other means either than political means” and my definition is “War is the means of obtaining a set agenda by any means  necessary through the use of violence and social coercion, by the parties involved.” Many people believe in the popular saying “fight fire with fire” for those of you who are not familiar with this term, it means combating an evil or negative circumstance by reacting in kind. This saying is generally the basis of justifying going into war. It sounds justifiable right? But I firmly disagree with it because I firmly believe that hate cannot defeat hate, it can only create a vicious circle of even more hatred. 

Most of my learned friends may argue that wars are declared, not for the gain of the rich but instead for the economic security of the nation and that makes sense right? But does that make it ok for one nation to prosper at the expense of sacrificing another nation? War is a very outdated, barbaric, cruel bloody, painful, harsh, brutal, endless and criminal method of settling issues because the only way an outcome can be reached is under one condition; if one side succeeds to destroy the other side completely and omit his existence.  In modern wars, it is impossible to do such a thing even when using the most destructive weapons, so today’s wars only postpone tensions until the next stage of confrontation. Most of my learned friends may argue that wars are declared, not for the gain of the rich but instead for the economic security of the nation and that makes sense right? But does that make it ok for one nation to prosper at the expense of sacrificing another nation?

1.       Strengthen the force of law, not the law of force

Legal prosecution holds criminals accountable, and punishes the responsible parties, without killing more innocent civilians.

2.       Abolish nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.

The only way to ensure that nuclear weapons are never used, by terrorists or nations, is to abolish them.

3.       End the arms trade and military training programs.

Soldiers find themselves facing and being killed by enemies armed with weapons made in their own country.

4.       Build good will by increasing foreign aid.

Work toward eliminating the conditions that sustain terrorism even through providing substantial aid to developing nations and enact policies that promote human rights.

Therefore as the saying goes ‘Make love not war‘, is by all means the best option because in my view even if some wars do solve problems, the cost at which these problems are solved is far greater than peaceful and democratic solutions.