The reasons for the war

Author: Stephen
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2007-01-01
Features: What are the causes that have led to multiple wars in modern society? Among these causes, which ones can be prevented? What might be the reasons for future wars? How can these wars be better prevented? This book focuses on researching the causes related to the nature and distribution of national power that lead to war. It will first propose the proximate causes of war, then turn to the distant causes. Chapter 2 points out a danger (incorrect optimism), which is partly derived from the dangers depicted in Chapters 3 and 6 (the benefits of preemptive action and easy conquest). The dangers pointed out in Chapters 3, 4, and 5 (the benefits of preemptive action, windows, and the cumulative nature of resources) also stem from easy conquest. This arrangement is not strictly followed. Some early-mentioned phenomena lead to later-mentioned phenomena. However, generally speaking, the book moves from proximate causes to distant causes, and the issue of easy conquest is regarded as a primary cause of other dangers. This is one of the Eastern Translation Press Translation Series. The author is one of the representatives of the defensive realism theory. The book proposes five hypotheses about the causes of war and analyzes and argues them separately. (1) Holding incorrect optimism about crises and the outcomes of war, or underestimating the costs of war, can easily lead to war. (2) If the party that takes the first action or initiates an attack has certain advantages, war is more likely to break out. (3) Changes in relative power (referred to by the author as "windows") can easily lead to war. (4) When control over resources compels a nation to protect other resources, war is more likely to break out. (5) The easier conquest is, the more likely war is to break out. In our world, where war and conflict still exist, studying the causes of war is not to promote war, but to avoid many wars that could have been avoided.