Causes of War: Systemic vs. Domestic
opinion Essay
1789 words
The purpose of this essay is to inform on the similarities and differences between systemic and domestic causes of war. According to World Politics by Jeffry Frieden, David Lake, and Kenneth Schultz, systemic causes deal with states that are unitary actors and their interactions with one another. It can deal with a state’s position within international organizations and also their relationships with other states. In contract, domestic causes of war pertain specifically to what goes on internally and factors within a state that may lead to war. Wars that occur between two or more states due to systemic and domestic causes are referred to as interstate wars. Almost every state on Earth desires peace, so why do countries go to war so often? Between World War I and World War II alone, there were an estimated 81 million casualties (Primary Megadeaths). Each state has different values and desires and many are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure those values remain in their state as well as spread to others. War results in a failure of states to successfully bargain with one another. The most common reason for wars to occur is territorial control. Of the 155 wars in the past three centuries, 83 of them dealt with territory (Holsti). Adding more territory will often add more wealth to the state. One way it can do that is by providing goods, resources, or industries that a state needs, such as oil or minerals. Iran and Iraq fought a war from 1980-1988 partially because Iraq sought to take control of Iran’s southern oil fields, according to World Politics. Military strategy can also play a role in why states seek new territories. Finally, states can be interested in territory for ethnic, cultural, or historical reasons. A prime ex... ... middle of paper ... ...nt variables. It can deal with the interests within a country and interests out of it. It can occur due to ideological differences or religious differences. It can occur due to a power grab, and in the cases of a failed brinkmanship, can be a complete accident. Each war throughout history has its own unique set of reasoning for occurring, which makes studying the causation of war so fascinating: in every war you study, you are guaranteed to find so many unique characteristics that it possesses. Works Cited Holsti, K. J. Peace and War: Armed Conflicts and International Order, 1648-1989. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1991. Print. Frieden, Jeffry A., David A. Lake, and Kenneth A. Schultz. World Politics. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2013. Print. "Primary Megadeaths of the Twentieth Century." Twentieth Century Atlas - Death Tolls. Necrometrics. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.
In this essay, the author
- Explains the similarities and differences between systemic and domestic causes of war according to world politics by jeffry frieden, david lake, and kenneth schultz.
- Analyzes why states engage in interstate wars, stating that each state has different values and desires, and many are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure those values remain in their state.
- Explains that a state may use ethnic, cultural, historical, or religious reasons to attempt to conquer new territory, but they can also be used to enact different policies.
- Explains that there are complex reasons why states go to war with each other and distinct reasons for war being desired from within a state, such as the rally effect, influence from the military and industries, and the diversion effect.
- Explains that while there are differences between domestic and systemic causes of war, they combine to create the overall reasoning as to why wars take place.
- Opines that miscommunication between states can be a key cause of war, and that the united states is an example of this.
- Opines that democratic states are best at communicating national resolve. non-democracies may still weigh the opinions of its citizens, but there are less repercussions if they ignore the wishes of many. regime types like dictatorships potentially pose a greater threat
- Explains that states can also go to war due to influence from the military or industries from within a state.
- Explains that a democratic government cares about its citizens, while dictatorships care less about the people's interests. brinksmanship is most likely to occur between states with vastly different ideologies.
- Explains the two primary causes of war: domestic and systemic. each war throughout history has its own unique set of reasoning for occurring.
- Cites holsti, k. j. peace and war: armed conflicts and international order, 1648-1989. frieden, jeffry a., lake, and schultz.
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- The War of the Triple Allianceanalytical essayLevy, Jack S., and William R. Thompson. Causes of War. Chichester, West Sussex, U.K.: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. Print.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the war of the triple alliance was the bloodiest war in latin america, taking place from 1864 to 1870. they will examine the dictator's operational code, prospect theory, and militarized interstate disputes.
- Analyzes how lópez's nationalism propelled him to make a new paraguay, and he had many supporters that followed.
- States vasquez, john a., "the probability of war, 1816-1992. presidential address to the international studies association, march 25, 2002, new orleans."
- Analyzes how lópez's operational code is an indication of how an individual will make a decision based on his upbringing, prior experiences, and ideologies in general.
- Analyzes how lópez took territories in brazil and argentina to retaliate for his actions. he declared war on argentina, annexing both entre rios and corrientes provinces.
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1996 wordsRead More - Cold Waropinion essayThe causes of war have shifted from mainly ideological ones to economic, ethnic and others. Although these reasons have always played a role as causes of war throughout history, they were in the last 50 years overshadowed by the cause of ideology. Now, with ideology not on top of the agenda anymore, these causes have regained their importance.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the causes of war have not changed at all, or at least very little, due to the recent end of the cold war.
- Explains that the causes of war have shifted from mainly ideological ones to economic, ethnic, and others.
- Explains that the cold war was a result of this division of power and of the important policy of spheres of influence.
- Analyzes how the cold war began in an ideologically hostile environment, characterised by the arms race between the two superpowers who were eager to preserve their spheres of influence.
- Explains that europe was a very stable area in the post-wwii era. all the conflicts between the superpowers, were never directly between us and soviet troops.
- Explains that these wars were 'proxy' wars, which almost always began because one superpower saw its (often ideological) interests threatened.
- Analyzes how the cold war turned 'hot' with the cuban missile crises. the stationing of russian missiles on cuba was seen as an atrocious provocation by the us.
- Explains that gorbachev signed several arms treaties and introduced reforms into the soviet union, but critics argued that they were too radical.
- Explains that since the end of the cold war, a 'new world order' has established itself. the us and the ussr's positions of power have changed.
- Analyzes how the us has changed its position as a superpower, but its influence has declined. many countries openly criticize america and us foreign policy.
- Explains that the us has lost some of its leading role in the world due to its internal problems, such as high crime rates, stagnating or declining economy, and a lack of permanent membership on the un security council.
- Explains that the post-cold war 'new world order' is not dominated by ideology, but by economics. countries want to achieve economic growth and prosper.
- Opines that issues of (national) identity may be a reason to take up arms. this contributed to the war in former yugoslavia.
- Opines that religion has always been a source of conflict, as several examples throughout history show.
- Explains that armed conflicts arise due to several reasons which can be interstate or innerstate ones (or both). the reasons i mention here are not new reasons; the importance of these reasons has increased.
- Opines that the shift in causes does not significantly affect the effort of maintaining peace, since they always played a part in resolving conflicts. with ideology no longer being an important cause, the people concerned with peace have one reason less to worry about.
- Opines that armed conflict might arise in some of the ex-ussr states and, if netanyahu keeps up with his politics, in the middle-east.
- Opines that in order to prove their opinion that war will always exist, one would have to write another essay to explore the reasons for this assumption more thoroughly.
2068 wordsRead More - The Events of 1937explanatory essay“International Relations.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 09 Mar. 2012
In this essay, the author
- Cites alabama department of archives and history's "alabama governors".
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- States that frost, robert (1874-1963) and gerber, philip. writers for young adults. ted hipple.
- Describes the encyclopedia britannica online academic edition, 2012.
- Explains that the year of 1937 was marked by dynamic world leaders, intensifying international conflicts, economic struggles, record breaking athletes, and influential authors.
- Explains that joe dimaggio was one of major league baseball's best players in its history. he was the leader in the american league for homeruns and runs scored.
- Explains that roosevelt terminated all commercial trade with japan and passed the neutrality act of 1937. hitler and his nazi army inflicted blow after blow on europe’s jews.
1652 wordsRead More - Howard Zinn's Ideas on Motivations for Waranalytical essayAlthough many people assume the motivations for war are determined by a territorial protection, a number of scholars have added other motivations for understanding why war occurs, among these historians one is a conspicuous example his name is Howard Zinn. Zinn has exposed that many countries go to war in order to bring economic prosperity to their region this need for gain in turn causes many of the upper class of that...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how howard zinn has exposed that many countries go to war in order to bring economic prosperity to their region, which in turn causes many of the upper class of that region to acquire fantastic levels of wealth.
- Analyzes how howard zinn has exposed that many countries go to war in order to bring economic prosperity to their region, which in turn causes many of the upper class of that region to acquire fantastic levels of wealth.
- Analyzes how howard zinn has exposed that many countries go to war in order to bring economic prosperity to their region, which in turn causes many of the upper class of that region to acquire fantastic levels of wealth.
- Analyzes how howard zinn has exposed that many countries go to war in order to bring economic prosperity to their region, which in turn causes many of the upper class of that region to acquire fantastic levels of wealth.
- Analyzes how howard zinn has exposed that many countries go to war in order to bring economic prosperity to their region, which in turn causes many of the upper class of that region to acquire fantastic levels of wealth.
563 wordsRead More - The Assassination of Archduke Ferdinandanalytical essay"international relations" Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the assassination of archduke ferdinand of austria-hungary and his wife sophie caused the waging of world war i, while sowing the seeds for the second world war.
- Analyzes how austria-hungary used ferdinand's death as an excuse to establish authority and influence within the balkans, via the serbians.
- Explains that austria-hungary declared war on serbia on july 28th, which galvanized russia into action. germany attempted the schlieffen plan and invaded belgium to get at france's capital.
- Explains that nationalism, imperialism, and militarism were the fuels of the flame that was wwi.
- Describes how princip and his fellow assassins were trained by a serbian nationalist group known as the black hand, whose goal was to liberate the people of austria-hungary.
- Explains that nations who had no need of nationalism sought to expand and colonize, thus adopting a policy of imperialism.
- Explains how germany, who had a strong military force at the time, knew that france would not be able to fulfill its vendetta against it without any help set out to isolate it by creating treaties with both russia and austria-hungary.
- Analyzes how the austrian-hungarian government's ambition to wage war with siberia was out of its imperialistic need to establish authority within europe.
- Analyzes how the german kaiser, wilhelm ii, attempted to establish germany as a dominant power within europe. this created naval arms race between the two nations, with britain winning.
- Analyzes how the treaty of versailles was a platform for the nazi party to rise up on and bring about the beginning of world war ii.
- Analyzes how the "war guilt clause" blamed the entire war on germany and brought about bitterness within its people. the treaty gave the nazi party the perfect chance to rise into power with hitler at their lead.
- Analyzes how the assassination of archduke ferdinand created a domino effect between nations, bringing them into war against each other and escalated even more due to tension built up from nationalism, imperialism, and militarism.
- Cites duffy, michael. "who's who - gavrilo princip." first world war.com. material 2000-2009.
- Cites duffy, michael. "feature articles - the causes of world war one." firstworldwar.com.
- Cites duffy, michael, "primary documents - austrian ultimatum to serbia, 23 july 1914."
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- Cites the united states holocaust memorial museum's "treaty of versailles, 1919." encyclopedia britannica.
1818 wordsRead More - The Iraq Waranalytical essayIn his 1988 Republican National Convention acceptance speech former U.S. President George H.W. Bush proclaimed that, “Weakness and ambivalence lead to war.”. For better or worse a state's ability to influence world politics is primarily based on much power they have. In purely academic terms, power is the ability of Actor A to get Actor B to do something that B would otherwise not do; the ability to get the other side to make concessions and to avoid having to make concessions oneself (Frieden P. A-6). Power is usually represented by the capability of a state to preserve or tip the balance of power towards their own national interests. Balance of power refers to a situation in which the military capabilities of two states or groups of states are roughly equal. Within the realist paradigm of world politics the balance of power among states is always subject to change at a moments notice. As such, those states who are at the top of the international pecking order have to remain vigilant of the potential threats to their power. With the end of the Cold War, the United States has been the unquestioned hegemonic authority in the international world. As a result, the U.S. has a vested interest to use its power to preserve the current balance of power. Recognizing this fact we can explain how “power”, in the form of diplomacy through bargaining and influence of domestic interests, accounts for the U.S. ongoing war in Iraq from its onset during former President George W. Bush's administration to the present policies in place because of President Barack Obama's administration.
In this essay, the author
- Explains how power, in the form of diplomacy through bargaining and influence of domestic interests, accounts for the u.s. ongoing war in iraq.
- Explains that the iraq war is a clear case of what happens when negotiations can't be reached. diplomacy is strategic interaction between conflicting states who seek to settle their disputes with one another.
- Explains that when diplomacy involves the possibility of war, it is defined as crisis bargaining or coercive diplomatic. after a period of several months of iraq non-compliance, former president bush jr. gave iraq's leader and his sons the choice of exiling themselves within 48 hours or face invasion from the newly u.s. formed coalition.
- Explains that the invasion of iraq was an obvious u.s. victory, but the rest of the war in the context of an insurgency has not been without its high costs.
- Analyzes how domestic politics affected the iraq war through the influence of interest groups, such as the military-industrial complex and american oil companies.
- Explains that american citizens have the ability to hold their leaders accountable for the decisions they make through frequent fair elections.
- Opines that the iraq war is an example of how the u.s. wants to use its power to preserve its interests.
1477 wordsRead More - Drugs Should be Legalizedopinion essaySpiegel, Steven L. World Politics in a New Era. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers. 2009.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that rights and liberties help explain why the drug war isn't a success.
- Opines that this gives the government the go ahead to do what it must to give us a drug-free future.
- Explains that the first is based on the people's right to life, and the second on human rights.
- Compares the deaths of 60 million people who have died of an overdose.
- Describes the reasons for believing that such a high number of people would use drugs.
- Opines that all 200 million tried to quit, but couldn't.
- Opines that percent of the people were not addicted to a drug, and that if we would.
- Opines that it is not true that its citizens should somehow be better off.
- Opines that the use of drugs is a major concern about drugs and crime.
- Opines that crimes often use drugs as well, and it cannot be said that the use of drugs is a crime.
- Opines that drugs are available to them at lower prices.
- Explains how live is converted into a liar or thief by the direct result of the drug.
- Explains new york city, where about of six of 414 studied murders were caused by drugs.
- Opines that drug prohibition must play a role in racism since it plays an important role.
- Opines that the people who had very little to lose had even more to gain.
- Opines that the drug laws in the past have been and continue to be tools of abuse.
- Opines that the drug laws kept mexican labor out of the market.
- Opines that we can do what we wish if we do not interfere with others.
- Opines that drug users are not the only ones crying out for their rights in this war.
- Explains that if no charges are brought against you, you must go to court and prove.
- Describes the costs that were not as important in the first place.
- Opines that alcohol was considered the worst evil, as we think of drugs now.
- Opines that prohibition and not use itself. if the drugs were sold at what would be the price?
- Opines that it would be silly to say that she comes over because he puts on the shirt. in fact, we might say the opposite.
- Describes quentin tarantino's pulp fiction, with john travolta, samuel l. jackson, and uma thurman. spiegel, steven l, world politics in a new era.
5000 wordsRead More - Propaganda During World War Twoanalytical essayBut the three types of motive so far considered are not nearly so frequently encountered as the fourth type, the making of war to strengthen and enrich dominating group. Once such a group is firmly in the saddle it always uses the opportunity to further strengthen its own economic and political power. In this class of wars we include all the colonial war...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that every war was advertised as a defensive, moralistic, and completely national expedition. bismarck even made an unworkable treaty with austria to claim, when austria broke it, that he was waging war
- Opines that the third class of wars are those waged to turn attention from unsatisfactory conditions at home.
- Analyzes how the boer war is an example of a class dominating foreign policy and making war to fill its own pocketbook
- Analyzes how the world war provided examples of all these different types of motivation. the military clique in serbia, the governing germans and magyars in austria-hungary fearing to lose control, and the dominating manufacturers, bankers and landowners hoping to increase their wealth by destroying dangerous competition led to the war.
- Analyzes the antagonism between austria-hungary and russia. the dominant germans and magyars were afraid of losing control at home if the subordinate nationalities grew too strong.
- Opines that russia's ambitions in the near east were driven by the interests of landowners and textile manufacturers.
- Explains that the russo-german feud started with the building of railroads in russia that could transport grain cheaply into the german market. germany raised her tariff on grain, and russia retaliated with bellicose measures.
- Analyzes how the conflict between germany and great britain engendered hostility. germans complained about german competition in the 80's, and british manufacturers had to lower wages.
- Analyzes how the french-german antagonism is older than any of the others and an understanding of it is made difficult by the literature that befogs the subject.
- Argues that governments always act in accordance with the intercsts of the dominant economic and socia1 groups, but this does not mean that they can afford to neglect the pretense of protecting the interests of other groups.
- Argues that the theory of dominating groups controlling foreign policy is not invalidated by the fact that diplomats as a class betray some of the most naive intellects in the governmental circle.
- Concludes that no one can object to the theory of dominant groups on account of the fact that such groups are often shortsighted in the matter of their real interests.
- Opines that dominating groups control foreign policy and make wars to maintain their dominance, but they can't be persuaded to avoid war by giving up their control.
1178 wordsRead More - The Cause of Waropinion essay"We will bring the terrorists to justice; or we will bring justice to the terrorists. Either way, justice will be done." George Walker Bush, 2001. This quote made by President Bush in 2001 after the September. At the time, this quote was exactly what most Americans wanted to hear. The word Revenge perfectly describes what we wanted from Saddam Hussein. As the years have gone by, Revenge has been in the back of our heads. As the intensity of war has dropped, we have gone on with our lives. The cause of the war has affected our lives today. Many people won’t admit it but the war has caused problems in the world instead of helping. The effect of the war has changed all Americans lives in some way, shape or form.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how president bush's 2001 quote, "revenge," perfectly describes what americans wanted from saddam hussein. as the intensity of war has dropped, we have gone on with our lives.
- Explains that money is the main cause of the war, and that many people blame it for our poor economy.
- Analyzes how the war ended up being a greedy contest between us and iraq.
- Opines that the cause of the war is different in many people's eyes, but to most it’s a confusing subject. if the united states never gets out of iraq, the american citizens and iraqi citizens will suffer.
- Opines that america's problems aren't all due to the war, but the government has gently bumped america into paying outrageous gas prices, ext.
- Opines that the direct impact of the war has affected everyone in america dramatically, but they should still treat the soldiers like their own child, husband, wife, etc.
- Opines that president bush's statement about iraq taking over the us is true. if we never had gone to war and stood our ground, we could easily have been defeated by iraqi soldiers.
- Opines that a soldier at war has much to think about. the effect of the war caused personal problems for the soldiers and their families.
- Concludes that war is the touchiest subject for everyone, from many different causes and effects, to soldiers fighting for their country. terrorist attacks have become one of american's biggest fears.
1178 wordsRead More - Neo-Realism and Liberalism: Comparing These Two Different Frameworks Used in International Relationscomparative essayNeo-realism and Liberalism both provide adequate theories in explaining the causes of war, yet Neo-realist ideals on the structural level and states being unitary actors in order to build security, conclude that Neo-realist states act on behalf of their own self interest. The lack of collaboration with other states and balance of power among them presents a reasonable explanation on the causes of war.
In this essay, the author
- Compares the theories of neo-realism and liberalism, which emphasize anarchy and the balance of power as a dominant factor to maintain hierarchy in international affairs.
- Explains neo-realism and liberalism's emphasis on the structural level in order for a country in the international system to gain as much benefits as possible.
- Compares neo-realist and liberal theories in how to gain what they want, but their ultimate goals are distinct.
- Explains that liberalism and neo-realism both can explain the causes of war, but their core belief on the distribution of power and security promote the idea of a war better than that of liberals.
- Concludes that neo-realism and liberalism provide adequate theories in explaining the causes of war, but the lack of collaboration with other states and balance of power among them presents a reasonable explanation.
1232 wordsRead More