Is War Ever Justified Essay

War, although being described by those who have survived it as hell, is in my opinion a necessary part of life in some sense in order to expand in many ways like socially, economically, and politically. In terms of social changes brought on by war, war often teaches us lessons about how to better our behaviour and attitudes in terms of our association both domestically and foreign. In World War 2 (1939 – 1945), America and Germany’s interaction and hostilities soon diminished after the end of conflict suggesting that they had learned to get along (or at the very least solve their issues in a more diplomatic way.). Learning from our mistakes is essential for growing as a race in general. Had it not been for World War 2 the UN (United Nations) would have most likely not been formed and therefore our world would not feel the sense of unity that is present today. In terms of economic changes brought on by conflict or changes, had it not been for wars we would not gain items of value for the use of economic resources. Had the USA not gone over and improvised in Afghanistan they would have most likely lost what is estimated to have been one trillion dollars worth of oil. For this reason the Afghan War (2001 – Present) has been referred to as the â€Å"resource war†. In terms of political change brought on by conflict or war, we as a society have learned many lessons of the importance of a strong political power which could in fact reduce the need for conflict or war. Had it not have been for the Vietnamese War (1959 – 1975), we would not have been shown the importance of international involvement from a single nation in order to assist a less fortunate nation. War has always, in the end, increased all nations sense of unity in some way. Had it not been for the Vietnamese War, America would still be in some state of singularity and arrogance. The loss in Vietnam for the Americans proved that even they the very powerful can be defeated; if they were not given assistance the losses could have been far greater. War may be brutal but there are many positives that can be taken away from it. War, though an expression of our inability to coordinate and understand one another is also a great teacher for the world at what is right and what is wrong. The atrocities and crimes committed during wartime, though terrible and evil as they appear are usually necessary and in the long run will eventually prove to be better for society. During World War 2 had the Allies not declared war against the Axis it is unthinkable as to what could have happened to our world. The Allies chose to stand up to what atrocities were committed by Hitler and stop his evil from spreading. World War 2 is also an exceptional example of what happens when good men fail to act and allow the actions of evil men to spread. Hitler rose to power and began breaching the Treaty of Versailles and built an army despite the Treaties clear clause in which it states that Germany is banned from ever creating an army to avoid the repetition of World War 1 (1914 – 1918). Had a militant force not attempted to stop Hitler and his Axis powers it is unthinkable as to what the outcome of Hitler’s plan could have been. World War 2 was completely justifiable in that the evil committed during this war far outweigh the possible evil that could have occurred had a war not occurred. Had a militant force not intervened and caused a war it is quite probable that Hitler would have just kept exterminating the Jewish population and that the world would have just continued to watch. During World War 2 we learned the importance of standing up against the tyrannical and not being afraid to stand up for what we as a civilisation believe to be acceptable behaviour. The conflicts during World War 2 could very well have been avoided had good men acted against Hitler’s breach of the Treaty of Versailles and had the courage to stop him before, as we can now see, his plan could have been put into motion. We can simply justify World War 2 in that had The Allies failed to intervene the Nazis would simply continue to exterminate the Jewish population and many attempts to reach Hitler on a political level had been attempted and failed. War, although being a major drain on our economy, is also a great representation of our ability to learn and adapt to what is occurring throughout our time. Had we not spent so much money on war machines during wartimes, we would not have defences in place today that protect our nations against attacks from other possible threats. It is also important to recognize that had wars not occurred it is quite possible that our economies would in-fact be damaged by this. for example a large portion of the economy revolves around oil and it is estimated that had America neglected to act in Afghanistan and stop the Taliban from burning their oil supply as an act of aggression and arrogance against the USA, it is possible that approximately one trillion dollars worth of oil would have been wasted. Had the USA not stepped in and intervened in this conflict, America’s already struggling economy would have been severely damaged and it is possible that this massive loss of oil would have quite possibly caused another depression in America. Had America not invested so much money into the conflict in Afghanistan there economy would have been severely damaged by this. The war in Afghanistan can be justified in that it was not originally intended for the sole purpose of protecting a means of economic revenue but was originally intended for the purpose of retrieving Osama Bin Laden and to punish him for his atrocities committed. It was only after this fact that Osama’s militia began to burn up the oil fields that American geologist discovered that Afghanistan was actually sitting over one of the worlds largest oil deposits. Many people who are against the war in Afghanistan claim that this conflict comments on Americas greed for Afghanistan’s oil deposits but it was intended originally to have been a mission to capture a known terrorist and to protect the people of Afghanistan. War is often a result of the lack of political effectiveness to eliminate issues and this causes violence. War can be justified in that many people are so close minded in that they would rather resort to violence and not accept a diplomatic solution to their issues that they have. The Vietnamese War is a result of America and her one-time ally the Soviet Union’s inability to discuss and resolve their issues without resorting to War and conflict. The collective inability of the Soviet Union and the Vietnamese Government to accept Americas attempts at peace resulted in this conflict and therefore this conflict was justified. The Vietnamese War was somewhat unavoidable in that many attempts by America were made to achieve peace with Vietnam. After the Vietnamese War was eventually lost by the American Military, it was determined that the original intention of the Vietnam War was to preserve the Vietnamese people’s right to self determination and freedom from oppression by the government. The war is justifiable in that America was merely attempting at preserving a god given constitutional right in that we as a people deserve the right to choose our actions without input from and political force. The Vietnamese War had the best intentions to preserve our rights but was perhaps ill prepared on part of the American Military. Sometimes in order to do what’s right we have to put aside the safety of others and make the difficult decisions that need to be made. Each and every war or conflict throughout history has been caused by circumstances that require action. Had action been neglected during any of the wars listed within this paper the results of these wars would have been far worse and many more would have died. All of the wars listed within this paper were unavoidable and justified in the fact that they all had the best of intentions in mind and that they were all attempted to be solved through non violent means. If a conflict is attempted to be resolved without violence or conflict then the act of war is justified.