Modern Warfare

• What is war


  Large-scale violent conflict

  Between tribes, nations, empires

  Civil war- Armed conflict between different groups within the same country

  Terrorism illegally uses violence and intimidation to pursue a political or theological goal

  There have been more than 250 wars since WW2
• The just war theory

  A just cause must be evident to go to war

  Suggested by Thomas Aquinas

  Outlines why and how a war is fought
• Just war criteria


  Must be the last resort

  Must be legally declared by a government

  Must be just cause and proper intention

  Must be a reasonable chance of success

  Must be for the greater good

  Only appropriate force should be used

  Innocent civilians shouldn’t be killed

  Peace must be restored at the end
• The continuing relevance of the Just War tradition

  The theory is realistic

  Sometimes war is a necessary evil

  Allows war to take place under controlled conditions
• Conventional weapons


  Guided missiles, land mines
• Chemical weapons


  Mustard gas used in WW1

  Can cause choking, violent skin irritation, blistering , attacks on nervous system , psychological attacks

  Causes mass casualties

  Banned by Geneva Protocol 1925 but used against civilians in Syria in 2017 and 2018 in the UK
• Biological weapons


  Release a harmful germ / virus and death is caused through infectious disease

  Banned by Geneva Protocol but Saddam Hussein accused in recent years
• Nuclear weapons


  Bombs or weapons that use nuclear energy

  A nuclear blast can kill millions - those near, immediately and those hundreds of miles away slowly and painfully from radiation sickness
• Nuclear weapons : Hiroshima


  In 1945 the first nuclear bomb was dropped on Hiroshima , Japan

  Killed 150,000 people within four months - immediate impact was 60,000 people

  The smallest modern nuclear bomb is about 20 times more powerful
• Arguments for nuclear weapons


  Has kept major world powers from coming to war since 1955 ( mutually assured destruction)

  The knowledge of nuclear weapons cannot be removed . It is preferable for countries to have them for deterrence than for an unstable dictator to use them in war.
• Arguments against nuclear weapons

  Destructive power is immense and long lasting

  A small nuclear war could wipe out human life on Earth

  Very costly - Money could be spent on raising everybody’s quality of life

  No effective protection against them nor can people control who has access to them
• Human cost of war : Military

  Deaths of soldiers - 25 million in WW2

  Thousands faced with life changing injuries and PTSD

  Lots of young veterans died at home due to drug overdose or suicide
• Human cost of war : civilians

  Approx 55 million civilians died in WW2

  Thousands of others were badly injured

  Civilians are often caught in the crossfire or killed in bombings

  Some are kidnapped and executed out of revenge or intimidation
• Human cost of war: refugees

  People forced to leave their own country due to conflict

  Over 50 million refugees
• Human cost of war: Child soldiers

  Some as young as 8 years old participate in suicide missions and act spies , messengers or lookouts. Girls may be forced into sexual slavery

  Many are recruited but others join in desperation

  50 countries still allow it

  Afghanistan , Myanmar , Somalia , South Sudan , Syria and Yemen

  The taliban and the Islamic state use children on a larger scale
• Economic cost of war : the government

  Destruction to buildings and infrastructure which has to be repaired

  Money allocated to humanitarian relief has been lost to fraud, waste and abuse

  Have to borrow money to fund a war which leads to national debt
• Economic cost of war : unemployment

  Many companies go out of business because of destruction of buildings etc

  Places of work are destroyed

  Small businesses cannot access stock via damaged roads

  Returning soldiers especially with injuries face limited job opportunities

  Labour force decreased as many lives are lost
• Economic cost of war : Rise in inflation 


  Prices are pushed up which leads to a reduction in living standards

  People experiencing poverty are subjected to increased malnutrition and poor sanitation
• Economic cost of war: Decline in tourism

  People don’t want to holiday in places where there is unrest

  Leads to higher unemployment in the hospitality industry

  Sharm El Sheikh a holiday resort was left devastated
• Pacifism


  The belief that violence is wrong and only peaceful , non-violent solutions should ever be used
• Absolute pacifism


  Believes it is never right to take part in war even in self defence

  Nothing can justify deliberately killing a person
• Conditional pacifism


  Against the idea of war in general but accepts there may be extreme circumstances when war is better than the alternative
• Selective pacifism


  Only opposes a certain type of war such as one that involves weapons of mass destruction
• Some pacifists suggest doing nothing is the best course of action. Others believe that they can take action by non-violent means
• Methods of non-violent activity

  Peaceful demonstrations

  Strikes in the work place

  Road block

  Picketing

  Hunger strikes
• Conscientious objectors 


  Refuse to fight due to beliefs
• Martin Luther King


  Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that
• Gandhi


  An eye for an eye and the world will all soon be blind
• Old testament on war and pacifism

  Allows war to take place if it is the will of god

  “Everything that happens in this world happens at the time God chooses“ Ecclesiastes shows that war is unavoidable and there will be times when God decides that a war must be fought
• new testament on war and pacifism

  Blessed are the peacemakers - Matthew

  Do not take revenge on someone who wrongs you - Matthew

  Jesus replaced the old testament principle with a higher standard - return violence with love
• Christianity is a faith based on love and the teaching of Jesus focuses on peace

  Christians generally agree that it is wrong to be involved in war and they will look to the life of Jesus for how to act

  Conquer evil with good - Romans
• All christians want peace and many are pacifists but some accept that War is inevitable. None of the major Christian Churches adopt a totally pacifist approach
• Roman catholic church


  Supports the concept of a Just War

  ”Force may only by used to correct a grave evil”
• Methodist church


  Supports the concept of a Just War

  ”Refuses to employ force unnecessarily or to destroy others”
• Quakers


  Reject all forms of violence

  Refuse to join the army but help in wars by acting as medics , ambulance drivers or taking part in relief work
• Holy wars


  Protects the religion of the people concerned

  The Crusades

  Called for by a religious leader or authority

  Fought to achieve a spiritual goal such as to spread faith or rescue believers

  Expected to give a spiritual reward