Why Nations Go To War

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  • + stinson Matthew Stinson 4 months ago
    Thanks for your comments and for favoriting the slideshow. A little background here on why it was made: I’m an English teacher in China and have a few anything-goes lectures each week which can have any topic.

    Many of my students are planning to study abroad and will take TOEFL or the IELTS, two high-level language proficiency tests, so I often engage them in college- or American high school-level topics, heavy on anecdotes and vocabulary to develop their listening and critical thinking skills.

    Most of the topics, like this one, are recycled from my time in college or based on current events.
  • + abhishekshah Abhishek Shah 4 months ago
    Ladies & Gentlemen, Presenting Idiots Guide to 'Why Nations Go to War?'.

    Matthew, thanks for sharing the same, well done my friend.
  • + dcaron Denise Caron 4 months ago
    Very well presented, examples fit the theories and the concepts are easy to understand, well done!
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Why Nations Go To War - Presentation Transcript

  1. Why Nations Go to War
  2. Starter Questions • Are people naturally peaceful or naturally violent? • Who are you more likely to argue with, your neighbor or someone in Beijing? • Why do some countries seem to go to war with each other all the time? • What happens when one generation in a country has many more children than the last? • Do more weapons lead to less war?
  3. Introduction • Today we will look at several theories to explain why nations go to war • The main focus is interstate war – war between countries – We will briefly touch on civil wars • Many of these theories overlap, and together they help to form a complete picture of why war happens
  4. Key Words • State – another word for a nation • Regime – the government of a state • Power – an important state in the world – Minor Power – less important states – Great Power – very important states – Superpower – the most important states • System – the character of relations between states
  5. Key Words • Treaty – an agreement between states – Non-Aggression Pact – an agreement not to attack one another – Mutual Defense Pact – an agreement to help out another state if it is attacked – Alliance – a strong treaty to connect security and economic interests of states – Collective Security Pact – an agreement that a large group of states will work to maintain peace (for example, the UN)
  6. Looking at Theories • Now we will learn about ten popular theories in International Relations to explain the causes of war • We will briefly look at each theory and discuss historical examples for each • As you may have noticed, important words will be highlighted in red • If you have questions, please ask as we go through the lecture
  7. I. Borders and War
  8. Details of Theory • It’s common sense that countries go to war more with their neighbors • Studies find that Great Powers are about ten times more likely to fight a war with their neighbors than to fight non-contiguous states • The more borders a state has, the greater the chance for war or for war to spread between its neighbors
  9. Other Findings • Borders only provide opportunity for war, not incentive • Natural borders are generally more peaceful than artificial ones – What is a “natural” border? • Mountains • Lakes • Seas – Why is this true?
  10. Example • The civil war in Congo became Africa’s first “World War” – Lasted from 1998 until 2003 – Killed up to 5.4 million people – Eight different states were involved • The war spread easily because the DR Congo borders nine different countries • Many countries invaded to steal the Congo’s resources
  11. II. Resource Wars
  12. Details of Theory • What are some important resources? • What happens when a country doesn’t have the resources it needs? • According to Lenin, capitalist states engage in imperialism to gain resources and avoid revolution at home • Resource wars are even more common when resources are in border regions
  13. Example • The Ruhr, Saar, and Lorraine regions divide France and Germany and are rich in coal and iron • France and Germany have fought over control of these regions several times • The European Union began as a treaty to share resources from the regions peacefully and avoid future war
  14. III. The Youth Bulge
  15. Details of Theory • We say a state has a “youth bulge” when its population has an unusually high number of young people • A youth bulge can lead to social problems, especially if the young people are mostly men
  16. Youth Bulge Problems and Solutions • Problems • Solutions – Lower quality – Improved social education policies (preferred – More in the West, but unemployment expensive!) – More crime – Revolution by the (because less jobs) youth – More unrest – Civil war – Possibility of – Genocide (killing of terrorism (many minority social terrorists are groups) “angry young men”) – Interstate war
  17. Examples • Germany during the 1930s had a youth bulge that Hitler used to his benefit • So did Japan during World War II • China during the 1960s experienced a large youth bulge that contributed to the Cultural Revolution • Islamic terrorism takes advantage of the youth bulge in Muslim countries today
  18. IV. A Power Imbalance
  19. Details of Theory • The international system is made up of many powers great and small • These powers tend to “balance” each other by forming alliances • Because of balancing, war is avoided because no powers have an advantage • Sometimes, however, new technology or internal problems in a powerful state can disrupt the balance of power
  20. Examples • The Sino-Japanese Wars of 1894-95 and 1931-45 happened because the balance of power between China and Japan was lost – why? – Japan adopted Western technology and methods; China rejected them – Chinese government was unstable because of the Qing collapse and later the civil war – The loss of Chinese power relative to Japan created an opportunity for war
  21. V. Flaws in the System
  22. Details of Theory • The international system is supposed to balance powers, but it requires freedom – States must be able to enter and leave treaties freely – States should freely choose wars rather than be forced into wars by alliance partners • Flaws in international treaties, combined with mistakes in diplomacy may increase rather than decrease war
  23. Examples • World War I began because of interlocking treaties between powers in Europe – It was against the interest of the states to engage in war, but they were compelled by treaties to fight each other • The Opium Wars between China and France and Britain happened in part because of profound differences in diplomacy and expectations
  24. VI. Leadership Miscalculation
  25. Details of Theory • What does “it takes two to tango” mean? • Leaders choose war when they have an advantage, avoid war when weak – If a weak power is threatened by a strong power they may offer concessions – If a leader mistakenly thinks he/she has an advantage, he/she may enter a war that should be avoided
  26. Examples • During the Boxer Rebellion, Cixi fought the Eight Powers because she believed that she had the power to defeat them • The US fought the war in Vietnam because it thought that it could outlast the communists • Saddam fought the coalition in the first Gulf War because he didn’t think they’d actually attack him – he was playing a “game of chicken”
  27. VII. Para Bellum
  28. Details of Theory • Si vis pacem praeparat para bellum – if you desire peace, prepare for war • States may go to war because they see their opponents as weak – Their opponents lack the necessary deterrence to prevent war • During a civil war, deterrence is lower and the chance of being invaded by another state is greater
  29. Policy Applications • America, Russia, China, and other great powers tend to believe in this theory • Many Americans argue that disarmament after World War I encouraged Hitler • Nuclear deterrence is the best example of applied “para bellum” theory – for 60 years there have been no other systemic wars because of nuclear weapons
  30. VIII. Diversionary War
  31. Details of Theory • How can leaders distract from bad news at home? • Answer: Fight a war abroad! • During the war or military action, public attention will shift away from domestic troubles – we call this a diversionary war • Democratic leaders are more likely to start these kinds of wars
  32. Examples • If successful, diversionary wars may boost a leader’s fortunes, such as Thatcher after the Falklands War • If unsuccessful, it can mean the end of a regime, such as the Argentine junta after the Falklands War • It can distract the press away from scandal, such as Clinton’s bombing of Sudan during the Monica Lewinsky affair
  33. IX. Ideological or Cultural War
  34. Details of Theory • States may see other powers with strong cultural or ideological differences as a threat against their interests or way of life • Often, these states won’t fight each other directly but engage in proxy wars – Germany vs. USSR in Spain – US vs. USSR in Vietnam – US vs. USSR in Afghanistan
  35. Other Findings • Religions often have many wars along their “borders,” especially Islam in Africa • Shared religious identity can create a zone of peace (e.g. Dar al Islam in Islam) • Shared democracy can also create more peaceful relations – Kant argued that democracies will turn to law rather than war to settle disputes
  36. X. Rivalry
  37. Details of Theory • What are rivals? • Characteristics of rivalry – Often, shared borders – but not always – Different cultural or ideological backgrounds – Important history of conflict • Rivalry is responsible for many of the wars within the international system and can cause the most deadly of wars
  38. Historical Rivalries • France vs. Germany • Russia vs. Western powers • China vs. Japan • China vs. Russia • India vs. Pakistan • Iran vs. Arab states • Israel vs. Muslim states • Anglophone vs. Francophone Africa
  39. Reducing Rivalry • Several changes can reduce rivalry between countries – Cultural change – one state becomes more like the other – Outside powers – the two states may share a friend, especially a superpower, who influences them towards peace – Alliances and economic relations (e.g. EU brought about an end to Franco-German rivalry)
  40. The End Any questions?
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