Is War Necessary?

People go to war for all types of reasons. Some go to war to seek stronger government systems, others go in search of change while others go to war in a bid to resolve their conflicts. Whatever the reason, people are often wondering why war should begin in the first. Of course not many people love going to war. War is too expensive for any nation to entertain it. War comes with so much destruction in its tow that every country often tries all other methods before resulting in war (Haass 124). War should by all means be avoided and prevented. Its effects on both the soldiers wielding guns and the nation is too detrimental to warrant its initiation in the first place.

The causes of war are as diverse as are the cultures of the earth. According to Jackson and Morelli (2), a majority of wars occur only after negotiation failures. Negotiation failure is therefore a valid cause of war. Rather than make the situation better, failed negotiations only make both parties more eager for war. With the knowledge of the losses that may occur after a war, it is very sad that people often choose war rather than peace. But then, there are reasons that give the decision of going to war validity. First, sometimes the parties at the negotiation table are unable to meet the demands of the negotiation. If a state is incapable of effecting changes in their system, then war becomes inevitable. Secondly, the resources may be indivisible. Sometimes the conflicting parties may be incapable of dividing the resources in conflict. In that case, the parties choose to go to war and fight through the conflict. Thirdly, negotiation failures may result from the imbalance of the benefits and costs that are likely to occur from the war. When conflicting parties realize that whatever is at stake is much larger than the effects of the war, then they re likely to derail negotiations in anticipation for war.

Some very enormous impact of war is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is a psychological disorder that causes emotional numbness and loss of interest in things that were previously enjoyed. While war is not the only cause of PTSD, it makes a significant contribution to the number of cases. Thirty-one percent, ten percent, eleven percent and twenty percent of Vietnam, Desert Storm, Afghanistan and Iraq veterans have suffered PTSD (NIH Medline Plus). This is a big percentage and should raise questions about the necessity of war in the first place. It is also noted that PTSD is the largest cause of suicide in the army. The numbers are too high and call for action. These figures shoe a chance of between ten to over thirty percent of getting the disease (NIH Medline Plus). Certain factor the war could probably play a part in determining the percentage of the cases.

The terror experienced in the war field is to blame for the cases of the PTSD. Notably, various cases of those diagnosed with PTSD display a high level of alertness at this point in their life. They tend to act defensively with every sound that arises. The war wakes them up to a need to defend themselves. Some are noted to jump defensively at every sound, others have nightmares while others experience a high level of caution even while driving (Make the Connection). They generally become reserved. These symptoms mirror the terror that is experienced at war.

Another common result of war is deaths. Every soldier who gets onto a plane to go to war has no guarantee of returning. In the War On Terror that was initiated after the September 11, bombing in 2001, the US has declared over six thousand of its soldiers dead. This is however a small number compared to the hundreds of thousands of civilians in Iraq and Afganistan. With so many deaths, there is supposed to be a global uproar against any ideas of going to war. The US has engaged in a series of wars over the past twenty five years. Most of these are in the Middle East. The wars have not been satisfactorily defensive in nature.

It is inappropriate for the US to engage to have engaged in most of the wars it has engaged in in the manner it has. It would have been more advisable for the government to create strategies of defending its boundaries against terrorists. Moreover, the US government should have created strategies of reducing terror activity within its boundaries. Policies to govern the treatment of terrorists could also help in curbing the crime both nationally and internationally. War never seems to be the last option for the US government. Instead, it seems to be amongst the very first considered ones. This can be evidenced by the American principle of not negotiating with criminals. This year alone, this principle has cost the US a few individuals in the hands of the ISIS. In return, the US is arming for war.

Michael Lind,Vietnam the Necessary War: A Reinterpretation of America’s Most Disastrous Military Conflict, 268, 1999. Print

Haass, Richard. War Of Necessity. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2009. Print.

Make the Connection,. The Path To Recovering From PTSD. 2014. Web. 6 Dec. 2014.

NIH Medline Plus,. ‘Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD: A Growing Epidemic / Neuroscience And PTSD Treatments’. N.p., 2009. Web. 6 Dec. 2014. <www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/winter09/articles/winter09pg10-14.html>

Jackson, Matthew O., and Massimo Morelli. “3 The reasons for wars: an updated survey.” The Handbook on the Political Economy of War (2011): 34.