War has been viewed as one of the scourges of the earth. It is a physical manifestation of evil and can be pictured as humanity at its worst; where man is killing man and, sometimes, no one exactly knows what they are fighting for. It seems that, since time immemorial, people from a civilized society tend to have difficulty in learning the lessons of war. We forget too easily history’s harrowing experiences of murderous bloodshed and unthinkable cruelty. Sometimes we even glorify war. We never learn. That is why perpetual peace has eluded us for generations.
It is said that “the factors leading to war are often complicated and are due to a range of issues. Where disputes arise over issues such as sovereignty, territory, resources, religion or ideology and a peaceable resolution is not sought, fails, or is thwarted, then war often results (wikipedia.org, 2006).”
Ironically, war has contributed in shaping the present society today. The allies during the World War II are still “allies” today but in economic terms. Merger of companies are made, for example, between the United States and the United Kingdom that helped in the countries’ economies.
The machinations that contribute to the conduct of war is an issue which is important to tackle. Knowing how and why war happens can help us in formulating strategies vital to attain peace between conflicting parties.
Enagaging in economic development through international trade and promoting awareness of societal, cultural and religious differences between countries bring with them solutions to eradicate the scourges of war. The protection of our environment through rehabilitation of damaged resources and constant awareness that they are not unlimited provide a situation wherein countries share their wealth in resources instead of trying to occupy a territory, through invasion, in order to exploit its resources.
Only by promoting these can we hope to eradicate all of the destruction, misery and diseases brought about by war, and hopefully achieving peace eventually.
Reference
- www.en.wikipedia.org, [web page]
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War. Date Accessed: 22 December 2006
