War and its Justifications
War refers to the occurrence of armed engagement pitting societies, nations and governments or even unorganized groups like militias and mercenaries against each other. Wars are usually typified by extreme aggression and violence with mortality, destruction, and suffering being some of the associated outcomes. Since time immemorial, war has been a common feature of human interaction with the earliest recorded instance of war being the 14,000-year old Site 117 whereby approximately 45 percent of the skeletons present manifest characteristics of a violent demise (Keeley 37).
The Necessity of War
Whereas the horrors that result from war would ordinarily suggest that war is unnecessary sometimes, it is both necessary and justifiable for example during the pursuit of maintenance of hegemonic power, the removal of a destructive leadership or the preservation of human dignity, rights, and justice.
Justice and Freedom
Justice and freedom are fundamental rights that are critical to human existence and whose denial leads to massive suffering thus imposing a moral responsibility on those with the ability to do so to ensure that these rights are safeguarded. Under the just ad bellum principle, which is one of the two primary elements of war ethics, unfriendly circumstances or acts provide sufficient premise for the declaration of war by a party. However, it is imperative that the just belligerents be seeking to eliminate some evil, ensure that their use of aggression does not result in worse disorder and evil than that which they originally sought to curtail, and that all other strategies of resolving the issue must have been attempted and proven ineffective (Tompkins 139).
Examples of Justified Wars
In the case of the Afghanistan and the Iraqi wars, for example, the USA has invoked this principle as a justification for their engagement in military activity. For example, in Afghanistan, the tyrannical rule of the Taliban occasioned massive civilian suffering and the denial of human rights while also facilitating terrorism, which was enough reason for a military intervention that would liberate the people from the evil regime.
In the case of Iraq, the apparent existence of Weapons of Mass Destruction stockpiles, which under the possession of a dictator and potentially even terrorist organizations constituted a great evil that needed to be stopped thus providing a premise for the 2003 invasion and subsequent war. The presence of such weapons is evidenced during the conflict when Travis, a marine on duty in Fallujah, has to wade through Chlorine gas in a heroic attempt to rescue his fellow soldiers (Yeoman). The use of Chemical weapons, whether on combatants or otherwise, is considered a war crime and it exemplifies the evilness of the dictatorial regime. Left to itself, it is evident that such a regime would not hesitate to turn those weapons on even innocent civilians. The war in this region, like any other conflict, results in a lot of devastation and casualties, including brave servicemen like Travis. However, despite these losses, the war is inherently justifiable because it helps to rid the world of an evil tyrant, whose continued grip on power would have resulted in far worse outcomes.
Poor Governance and the Desire for Freedom
When a regime fails to serve the interests of the populace it leads and does not ensure human dignity, a natural and reasonable consequence may be a citizen uprising demanding for rights. In the poem London, Blake bemoans the mind-forg'd manacles, of the English people who are suffering under the poor leadership of the Palace and the Church, which has led to suffering and woes such as infant deaths from illness (Blake par. 2). The citizens curse and moan but are still not ready to rise up against their oppressors unlike their counterparts the French who were in the fifth year since their Revolution at the time of publication of the poem. Blake thus appears to lament the apparent inability and reluctance of Londoners to follow the French example and free themselves. Consequently, through this poem, it is apparent that poor governance is detrimental to citizen welfare and brings about immense suffering. The desire to be free of the poor leadership is thus another time in which war may be necessary.
Maintaining Hegemonic Power
In international relations, powerful nations often seek to exercise hegemony over other smaller and less powerful nations and thus to exercise and maintain this superiority, war may sometimes become a necessity. Whereas hegemons have a stabilizing effect on global order, their power is constantly challenged and consequently, they may engage in war to preemptively suppress potential challengers (Levy 145).
Example of a Necessary War
One example of such a situation is the Vietnam war in which the USA sought to stem the growing communist influence in Southeast Asia, which could potentially have led to an alteration in the global balance of power. The Communist influence on the Vietnamese nationalists was evident even from the weapons used by the Vietnamese soldiers with AK-47's and Simunov carbines featuring heavily thus suggesting Soviet military support (O'Brien 369). Thus, limiting the spread of competing ideologies as the American military engagement in Vietnam sought to do with communism is another situation whereby war may be necessary.
Conclusion
Conclusively, it is evident that war, which has been a part of human experience for eons, is a horrendous experience with brutal outcomes for both combatants and non-combatants. Consequently, it is necessary, in as far as possible, to avoid it although this is not always possible. Some instances in which the engagement in violent conflicts may become a matter of necessity include where human rights and dignity are at stake, where regimes do nor serve their citizens interests, and where a hegemon seeks to retain and consolidate its power.
Works Cited
Blake, William. "London." Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43673/london-56d222777e969. Accessed 23 Nov. 2018.
Keeley, Lawrence H. War Before Civilization: [the Myth of the Peaceful Savage]. Oxford Univ. P, 2007.
Levy, Jack S. "The Causes of War and the Conditions of Peace." Annual Review of Political Science, vol. 1, 1998, pp. 139-165, doi: 10.1146/annurev.polisci.1.1.139.
O'Brien, Tim. "The Things They Carried." The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Short Stories, edited by Tobias Wolff, Vintage Books, 1994, pp. 366-384, www.cengage.com/custom/static_content/OLC/s76656_76218lf/obrien.pdf. Accessed 23 Nov. 2018.
Tompkins, Daniel P. "The Question of Just War Theory and the Augustinian Caveat Praeemptor." Augustinian Just War Theory and the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq: Confessions, Contentions, and the Lust for Power, edited by Craig J. De Paulo, Daniel P. Tompkins, and Patrick A. Messina, Peter Lang Publishing Inc, 2012, pp. 133-153, www.academia.edu/8082575/Augustinian_Just_War_Theory_and_the_Wars_in_Afghanistan_and_Iraq_Confessions_Contentions_and_the_Lust_for_Power._Edited_by_Craig_J_N_De_Paulo_Patrick_A_Messina_Daniel_P_Tompkins_New_York_Peter_Lang_2011._The_Question_of_Just_War_Theory_and_the_Augustinian_Caveat_Praeemptor.
Yeoman, Barry. "Brothers Forever: How Two Friends Came to Rest Side by Side at Arlington National Cemetery." Community Table, 10 Oct. 2014, communitytable.parade.com/297011/barryyeoman/brothers-forever-how-two-friends-came-to-rest-side-by-side-at-arlington-national-cemetery/.
