my stance on war Essays

my stance on war Essays my stance on war Essay my stance on war Essay Essay Topic: All Quiet On the Western Front English 101 Evils of Wars Wars break out for various reasons. There are wars between countries or nations and within the nation. The latter is generally known as a civil war and can occur as a result of differences based on race, religion, socio-economic dissatisfaction among others. Whether wars are waged between countries (interstate) or inside the country between different sections of the communities, the effects are very damaging. There are a number of viewpoints for deciding when war is appropriate, some based on morals, and some based on costs and benefits. There are four theories that serve as justification for violence and wars. The main theories that explain policy decisions about war and peace are the theories of realism, pacifism, Just-war, and the requirement of discrimination theory. l, of course, dont support the idea that war is necessary because it destroys innocent minds, it is bad for the economy, and it is terrible for the environment. War does not always physically injure someone, but it can emotionally scar them for the rest of their lives. First, one thing that we can learn rom war is the recognition of universal similarities. Oftentimes, the soldiers are constantly told that the enemy are beasts and deserve no reason to live. But what makes the enemy different from them? Both sides believe in fighting for the homeland. Also, both sides encounter the destruction that a war brings to soldier mentally and physically. In the book All Quiet on the Western Front, author Erich Maria Remarque explains how even though in war the soldiers may have survived the attacks, they did not always survive the war itself(23). By this statement, Remarque is trying to inform readers that war has negative effects on people, not only physically but also mentally. War destroys innocence. Soldiers in the war never had a chance to live their youth because they had to go to war. Just as they should be starting their teenage years, they were forced to drop everything at once and put their life on the line. If war does not kill you physically, then it will emotionally. Its a simple fact; war is destruction at its best. It does not only destroy lives and emotions, but the economy as well. War has influenced economic history profoundly across time and space. Above all, recurring war has drained wealth, disrupted markets, and depressed economic growth. Wars are expensive in money and other resources. In the book The Real Price of War: How You Pay for the War on Terror, author Joshua S. Goldstein informs that one estimate put World War Is total cost at $400 billion five times the value of everything in France and Belgium at the time(14). Goldsteins point is that in order to maintain a war and be fully prepared for it, a single country will eed to spend billions of dollars on weapons, food, shelter, training, etc. Yet many people might believe that it is worth it to squander billions of dollars Just to kill innocent people, and destroy countries, I think it is an aimless action to act upon. One way governments pay for war is to raise taxes, which is non-beneficial to society. Another way to pay for war is to borrow money, which increases government debt and can drive states into bankruptcy. In addition to draining money and resources capital such as farms, factories, and cities. Throughout history, war has invariably resulted in environmental destruction. Nuclear weapons pose a terrible threat to the environment and human health. The earths environment is battered by war, its preparation, practice and aftermath. It is destroyed as an act of war; it is used as a weapon of war; and its destruction is expensive and sometimes irreversible. In the article The Aftermath of Invasion: A Field Report from Nasiriyah, author Norman Sheehan stated that during the most recent warfare in Iraq, individuals were forced o cut down city trees to use as cooking fuel(1 1). This statement, which Sheehan uses in his article, adds weight to the argument that war destroys the environment. Cutting down trees has many negative effects on the environment, animals, and people. The real risk that conventional weapons pose to the environment is through indirect effects. For example, war affects the quality of our air; emissions from the use of tanks and other military machinery and the use of air bombs leave chemicals and debris in the air, which results in inhaling chemicals that are dangerous for our body. The start of a war only leads to harmful and negative outcomes. There is no doubt that war is an evil one, and it should never occur in history because it destroys innocence, it is bad for the economy, and it is terrible for the environment. There are, doubtless, people who consider war as something grand and heroic and regard it as something that brings out the best man. But this does not in any way alter the fact that war is a terrible dreadful calamity. This topic matters to the world because, us, people need to put ourselves first and think about how much we are going to be ffected when a war breaks down. In one way or another, everyone is affected by war. Therefore, starting a war should never be an option in solving disputes. Goldstein, Joshua S. The Real Price of War: How You Pay for the War on Terror. New York: New York UP, 2004. Print. Remarque, Erich Maria, and A. W. Wheen. All Quiet on the Western Front. Boston: Little, Brown, and, 1929. Print. Sheehan, Norman. The Aftermath of Invasion: A Field Report from Nasiriyah. Environmentalists Against War. Environmentalists Against War, 01 May 2003. Web. 06 Nov. 2013.