Make-up Blog: Who to blame for war?

It can be believed that the root cause of war is the man since all the state decisions are made by him. To enter into a conflict or refrain from it is decided by the head of the state and his assistants and so their perceptions ultimately seep into the decisions of the state. However, we have discussed this at length that morality is to be divorced from a non-living entity, the state. Thus, man cannot be held responsible for indulging in or triggering wars.

On the other end, states can be held responsible for war. States are concerned with survival and would take any measures to secure their existence. The security dilemma explains that states are apprehensive about the intentions of other states and might miscalculate actions resulting in inhospitable relationships. With both the states at guard, small insignificant events would spark off catastrophic actions. Also, states are perpetually interested and concerned about national interests so they indulge in activities that yield the desired results, which can sometimes be at the expense of long-lasting alliances.

But then, the system can be blamed for the existing wars in the world. The balance of power is not stagnant and would continuously shift. The great powers would do anything to maintain it while the emerging states would burn their midnight oil to attain the same status. As the position of a state is not secure in the current system, states are in a constant quest to gain power and guarantee their status as the hegemons.

In my opinion, the system is responsible for the wars prevalent around the globe since individual states act the way they do because they are enmeshed in the system and thus are forced to act a particular way, contrary to their own distinct approach towards situations.