Multimedia Project for critical thinking, Dr. Brian Dunst

1. Pro-War, Anti-
War, or just in
the middle
Kyler Parks - Multimedia Project
Dr. Brian Dunst - CriticalThinking

2. Background
on War and
Armed
conflict
2
War (Definition):a state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict
between states or nations
• There have been 12 Major AmericanWars : American
Revolution (1775-1783),War of 1812 (1812-1815), Indian Wars (approx. 1817-
1898), Mexican War (1846-1848),CivilWar (1861-1865), Spanish-American War (1898-
1902),WorldWar I (1917-1918),WorldWar II (1941 –1945), KoreanWar (1950-
1953),Vietnam War (1964-1975), Desert Shield/Desert Storm (1990-1991), GlobalWar on
Terror (Oct 2001 – ongoing). (source: https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/factsheets/fs_americas_wars.pdf)
• Total war casualties:The United States has
approximately 1.2 million and counting soldier deaths
and when it comes to civilians that number is more than
50 million due to war related famine, disease, and war
crimes.
• War can bring economic growth, resources,
independence and freedom for oppressed countries, and
many more benefits for people but for a cost.

3. Current war
and armed
conflict in
2023
3
• The current major war in the year 2023 is the Russo-
UkrainianWar (began in 2014).The war escalated after a
Russian invasion in February 2022.
• The war between Russia and Ukraine involves a lot of
other nations not including the two.The United States is
an ally to Ukraine and provides support. Ukraine
wants independence from Russia and now they are in an
Armed conflict which is claiming the lives of plenty and
is destroying billions in property.
• Russian Invasion on Ukraine Statistics:
Deaths: 60,000+ deaths
Injured: 59,000+ non-fatal injuries
Buildings destroyed: 140,000+ buildings
Property Damage: $400 billion and counting

4. Two main
views of War
and
International
Armed
Conflict
PRO-WAR:
1. In favor of using war to solve a political issue
2. Believes war has benefits
3. War is right
Anti-War:
1. Opposed to using war to solve political issues
2. War benefits don't outweigh the negatives
3. War is wrong and counterproductive 4

5. Middle
ground on
War and
International
Armed
Conflict
• It is not uncommon to agree with the middle ground with
plenty of topics. Regarding war it has its benefits and a
lot of negatives. Based on what nation and what your
life is like your view can be different from another
person's.The middle ground is where most people may
agree with.
1. War is sometimes needed to solve political differences
2. Although a lot deaths have occurred war has proven to
solve political issues in the past
3. War is bad and causes a lot of negatives like death but
also a lot of positives like freedom
5

6. In depth with
the Pro-War
viewpoint
6
• Lots of people during an oncoming war split between
being Pro-War or Anti-War.The people wanting their
nation to keep fighting until they win are the Pro-
War.
• During theVietnam war the US split between Pro-
War and Anti-War as a result as people wanting
peace and the other side wanting to protect
America and stick into theWar.
• Pro-War supporters want their Nation to protect
their reputation by using all firepower and
manpower to defend themselves.
• Pro-War is aggressive and really thinks of violence is
the answer which sometimes is needed to get points
across

7. Does the Pro-
War view
really make
sense?
7
To really find this out we need to
look in to see if this side is unbiased.
Are these people Pro-war because
their nation is a powerhouse? Are
they former military? Are the people
of the nation threatened and
believe war is the only way to be
safe?
• Although people are subject to their own opinions
some people may feel more inclined to be Pro-War
if they are in a nation with a high military spending
• With a powerful military like the United States,
China, and Russia who are all consistently in the
top 5 for military spendings it is not shocking that
their people support wars.
• From surveys from the Iraq and AfghanistanWars
about 2/3 of the veterans say the wars were NOT
worth it.
• Now when it comes to a not so good military
nation, they may be pro-war if they have an ally
like the United States. For example,Ukraine has the
US as an ally, and they want independence from
Russia so some Ukrainians may be Pro-War for that
reason.

8. In depth with
the Anti-War
viewpoint
8
• The Anti-War side is the more populous choice
between most groups.
• No one really wants to check the news and see the
number of deaths that occur during wars that seem
to never really have an end until it has gone too far.
• Many supporters participate in peaceful protests to
try to get their nation to pull out of wars, most
notably US citizens protesting for theVietnam war.
• Citizens in weak nations may automatically lean
towards Anti-War as they know that they have no
chance against powerhouse nations.
• Anti-War is something that will keep the world
going which will take some time but with the
current wars it seems that we are always getting
closer to nuclear wars.

9. Does the Anti-
War view really
make sense?
9
To see if the Anti-War supporters view
is valid, we must do a little
background check. Do
these supporters believe no war will
work in the end? Although less
casualties from wars how else will
conflict be solved? Are these
supporters for Anti-War in weak
nations?
• Being Anti-War is nice and everything but nations
are constantly wanting to upgrade their military to
keep up with every other nation or be stronger. A
nation doesn’t want to be Anti-War and see other
nations keep spending on military as it would put
them at a severe and dangerous spot.
• If all nations decided to go against war how else
would conflict be solved?That is a question that is
hard to answer as war is all we have known to gain
freedom and independence
• Anti-War supporters seem more prevalent in
weaker nations like Ukraine.The Russia v. Ukraine
war is outmatched as Ukraine is significantly
weaker.Their supporters may Anti-War because if
they were Pro-War they just wouldn’t win
regardless.

10. The Middle-
Ground view
"in a nutshell"
10
Middle ground is easier to see as
valid as supporters support the best
of both worlds. "Sure, war is bad
but it's good for this reason... and
sure anti-war is good but it's bad
for this reason..."
• The middle ground view is pretty much the best of
both worlds, and I don’t believe it's really a
viewpoint that someone can proudly say they are a
supporter of.
• The morally good side is to be Anti-War as war
is killing, destruction, and a money pit. As wars
keep happening it seems as if armed conflict will
never come to an end
• Pro-War seems to be morally bad but being on this
side proves that you want to be the powerhouse
and be the one who calls the shots.
• The middle ground is part of people who may act
"blind" towards the negatives of each side while
holding the positives as the main supporting point
for their view.

11. My personal
standing on
Pro-War,
Anti-War, or
in the
middle 11
I for sure lean towards Anti-War more than anything. I
wish all nations would come together and decide to not
engage in wars against each other and find alternative
ways to settle differences. Not only are wars ongoing and
sometime unnecessary with all the casualties, property
damage, and harmfulness to the environment.Wars as
we know it get more and more severe as technology
advances. I've always thought of the chances of nuclear
war, and it seems like all the powerhouse militaries have
a large nuclear stockpile capable of ending the whole
world in the click 0f a button. I side with the Anti-War
view as it would make the world a more prosperous place
and a greater place to live.

12. Bonus Slide
12
This is a slide of some Pro-War and
Anti-War comics that I found while
researching that were interesting
and cool.

13. The End.
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