WDW152H1 Lecture 3: Trends in War
12 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Akin to "state of nature"
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Anarchy : state of complete lawlessness
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State of nature there is no entity to make and enforce rules so
everyone has to fight to get the resources they already have
▪
Hobbes
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The international system in anarchical, which means there is no
overarching hierarchy to make and enforce rules
▪
Each state has to be powerful enough to protect itself
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Quest for power leads to war
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War is therefore the normal state of the international system
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Wars recur because the international system in anarchical and
all states must fight for more power than the others so as to
protect themselves
▪
Peace is an anomaly
□
Not the "normal" situation and is really only a pause
between wars
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Peace can be preserved by a government or some other
system of laws that stands above the states (hierarchy)
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Peace can also be preserved if there is a balance of power
among states
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Negative peace: absence of violence
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Positive peace : absence of violence plus conditions that
enable people to thrive (political equality, security, justice)
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Durant and Durant
▪
Realists - Kennedy / Durant and Durant
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First attempt to scientifically study war
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Won't be able to understand war if don't study causes
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1920-42 gathered data on every war ever fought : participants,
length, battle deaths, etc.
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Examined data for patterns - Study of War 1942
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More costly in terms of resources and lives
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Shorter than wars in the past
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Becoming less frequent : frequency of wars had been
diminishing for a long time - unexpected
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Modern wars are
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Quincy Wright : what causes war
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Why do wars recur?
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Stumped --> no explanation
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Realists
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Cities in which Hindus and Muslims had lots of opportunities to
interact were less prone to conflict - perhaps states have had
more opportunities to interact and build relationships in modern
times (Globalization)
▪
Varshney
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Perhaps we have better, more knowledgeable leaders
▪
White and Stoessinger
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More interactions among states would lead to more cooperation
(Globalization)
▪
Singer and Deutsch
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Why are wars happening less frequently?
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Lecture 2.3: Trends in War
January 25, 2017
10:00 AM
LECTURE Page 1
Document Summary
State of nature there is no entity to make and enforce rules so everyone has to fight to get the resources they already have. The international system in anarchical, which means there is no overarching hierarchy to make and enforce rules. Each state has to be powerful enough to protect itself. War is therefore the normal state of the international system. Wars recur because the international system in anarchical and all states must fight for more power than the others so as to protect themselves. Not the normal situation and is really only a pause between wars. Peace can be preserved by a government or some other system of laws that stands above the states (hierarchy) Peace can also be preserved if there is a balance of power among states. Positive peace : absence of violence plus conditions that enable people to thrive (political equality, security, justice) Won"t be able to understand war if don"t study causes.
