Modern Warfare

• What is war?


  organised conflict, usually consisting of intense violence carried out by one state or states against another state or states.
• Civil War


  occur internally within a state between organised groups, this is known as civil war.
• Reasons for going to war

  • attack or invade another state to gain territory or resources
  • resist an attack or invasion by an aggressor
  • protect another state from attack by an aggressor
  • impose domination or political change on another state, or resist such domination
  • challenge a threat to essential national interests by another state
  • counter perceived threats from a different ideology, religion or ethnic group
  • defend the national honour when under threat
• Quaker work today

  • campaigning and encouraging countries to get rid of nuclear weapons and other lethal weapons
  • training groups around the world in non-violent methods of conflict resolution
  • protesting against wars and violent actions in their own countries
  • sending volunteers to areas of conflict to support local peace activists
  • keeping offices at the United Nations, an organisation which brings different nations together to discuss issues such as nuclear weapons and peace
• Conscientious Objectors 


  Someone protected by law if they refuse to fight by believing it is wrong
• Active Pacifism 


  not passive but fights against violence by being politically active to promote peace
• Selective Pacifism 


  opposes only a certain type of war e.g-nuclear war
• Conditional Pacifism 


  Against the idea of war in general but accepts there are some circumstances where it is the lesser evil
• JWT

  1.      Declared under democratic competent authority

  2.      Reasonable probability of success

  3.      Must be a last resort

  4.      Must have proportionality

  5.      Must be in self defence

  6.      Or to prevent an anticipated attack from potential enemy to yourself or ally state

  7.      Civilians must not be targeted
• Chemical Weapons 


  Causes choking, burning skin and lung damage. Dependent on wind direction. Napalm in vietman
• bIological weapons


  Pollutes the land and causes infectious diseases- Anthrax outbreak in 1970s Russia
• Nuclear Weapons 


  kills millions upto 100 miles away causing slow and painful death
• Arguments for nw

  • The possession of nuclear weapons has kept the major world powers from coming to war since 1955. This is due to fear of what might happen - the term that describes this is 'mutually assured destruction'.
  • It is preferable for the major powers to have these bombs for deterrence than for an unstable dictator to use them in war.
• arguments against NW

  • Their destructive power is immense and long lasting. Even countries that have nothing to do with the war will be badly affected. Some people estimate that a small nuclear war could wipe out human life on Earth.
  • They are very costly to develop and maintain. The money could be spent on raising everybody's quality of life.
  • There is no effective protection against them, nor can people control who has access to them.
• Child Soldiers


  International law prohibits young people under the age of 18 taking part in armed conflict, and the use of children under the age of 15 is considered a war crime. The United Nations defines child soldiers as 'children associated with armed forces and groups' Not all children have armed roles in these groups, so referring to them as 'child soldiers' isn't always accurate as they may be used in any capacity - including as spies, messengers, porters, servants or for sexual purposes.
• Economic cost of war

  ·       In UK spending on defence was almost £40 bil 19/20

  ·       After both WW UK and US needed to take loans

  ·       War causes inflation-Germany

  ·       Increases national debt-UK debt amounted to £1.7 trillion-war will increase this debt

  ·       Places of work destroyed and rise of unemployment

  ·       War leads to s decline in tourism-Egypt