When War is Necessary

Rhodesian soldiers on patrol with FN FAL rifle...

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A war consists of individuals dividing on an idea and concerning themselves enough with it that they are willing to kill each other over it. That’s what war is. War is devastating. Every war ends with people feeling dishearented, sad, angry, and many dead. If war is really “good for nothing” as some have sung, why then do we continue to have them?

Wars are necessary. There are some wars that have to be fought. The Rhodesians fought the Bush War because ZANLA guerillas were killing civilians. The British fought World War II because they promised Poland they would stand up for them. The Mexicans fought the Revolution to overturn totalitarian rule in their country.  These wars each turn on individuals holding different ideas and caring enough about them to risk their lives.

Pacifism is not to be sneared at. Avoiding the death and destruction of human lives is worthy. General Eisenhowever was lambasted by the public when he refused to capture Berlin at the end of World War II. His decision however, was based on the estimated 100,000 casualties the victory would cost; too high for a empty prize, since Berlin was to be governed by all the Allies.

It is unwise to issue blanket statements that all wars are useless. While they can be trials for all involved, saddening for millions, some wars have to be fought. It is important, therefore to elect leaders who will make wise decisions: to avoid conflict whenever possible, and to not put off necessary fights.

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The Costs of War

War is bad. That’s an insanely easy thing to say, but why is it bad? We like to rail against war because it kills people, but can we list specifics to explain or detail our views? Here is a list of a few wars and why war is bad.

  • World War II. Dozens of nations involved. 1939-1945. Cost up to an estimated 72,000,000 lives.
  • An Shi Rebellion. Within China. 755-763. Cost an estimated 36,000,000 lives.
  • The conquest of the Ming dynasty by the Qing dynasty in China. 1616-1662. Cost an estimated 25,000,000 lives.
  • Taiping Rebellion. Within China. 1851-1864. Cost an estimated 20,000,000 lives.
  • World War I. Dozens of nations involved. 1914-1918. Cost an estimated 20,000,000 lives.
  • The Second Sino-Japanese War. China with foreign support against Japan. 1937-1945. Cost an estimated 20,000,000 lives.
  • The Thirty Years’ War. Various European nations against the Holy Roman Empire and allies. 1618-1648. Cost up to an estimated 11,500,000 lives.
  • The Russian Civil War. 1917-1921. Cost up to an estimated 9,000,000 lives.
  • Chinese Civil War. People’s Republic of China against Communist Party of China. 1928-1949. Cost up to an estimated 6,100,000 lives.
  • Napoleonic Wars. Over two dozen nations involved. 1804-1815. Cost up to an estimated 6,000,000 lives.
  • Vietnam War. North Vietnam and allies against South Vietnam and allies. 1945-1975. Cost up to an estimated 3,800,000 lives.
  • Korean War. United Nations against North Korea and allies. 1950-1953. Cost up to an estimated 3,500,000 lives.
  • Afghan Civil War. Within Afghanistan. 1979 – Present. Cost up to an estimated 2,500,000 lives, so far.

In just the above listed wars, up to over 230,000,000 lives were lost. Many of these lives were not soldiers. The civilian lives lost during World War II alone were almost 50,000,000. These numbers are staggering. So much so that the human mind can’t really wrap around them. These are the costs of war.

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When is War Ever an Option?

Naval photograph documenting the Japanese atta...

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Ideally, there would be no war. Ideally, rational discussion and give-and-take negotiations would prevent any armed conflict. Unfortunately, we do not live in an ideal world. We live in a world where disagreements over any number of things can often degenerate into open conflict. But under what circumstances, might war even be considered an option?

Could a war against oppression be a justifiable war? The American Revolution could be a sort of war against oppression. In the late eighteenth century, the young United States was bucking against the oppressive English government – a government in which they had no representation that held complete sway over them. Petitions for changes weren’t working and it eventually took the Declaration of Independence and a war to throw off the English rule.

Is war an option if it is retaliatory? If it is meant to prevent what happened from happening again?  In 1941 America declared war on Japan following a devastating attack on Pearl Harbor. Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001 was, at least initially, America responding in retaliation to an attack by extremists.

Can war be an option if it is in self-defense? During WWII, France, other European nations and England fought a Germany that had already violently attacked its neighbors and looked to continue expanding. Choosing not to fight in self-defense could have been choosing total defeat.

Is war an option if it involves coming to someone else’s aid? In WWII, Germany never attacked America, but America entered the war and helped defend European allies and England against probable defeat.

War should never be a means of forcing a way of life on someone or punishing them for not sharing a way of life. When negotiations fail, when pleas fall on deaf ears, when capitulating becomes only temporary appeasement, and when an unchecked force would cost lives…only then can war, as bad as it is, even be considered an option.

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