Causes of War Quiz

Thucydides

An Athenian who wrote The History of the Peloponnesian War. He was exile to Sparta and was able to record the Peloponnesian War without bias and with eye-witness accounts.

Athens

Rapidly emerging power in Ancient Greece. Huge commercial power led to strong navy. Birthplace of democracy, but only white male landowners were franchised. Reliant on institution of slavery. Heavy comparisons to America.

Cause of the Peloponnesian War

The growth of Athenian power caused fear in Sparta. The distribution of power was changing in Ancient Greece.

Mytilenean Debate

City of Mytilene revolts against Athens. Athens discussing whether or not they should kill all the men and enslave the women and children, harsh even for the time.

Purpose of the Mytilenean Debate

How can Athens run a military occupation?

Corcyraean Revolution

City divided between the oligarchs and the democrats. Democrats successfully get help from Athens.

Jus in Bello

Justice in War (how war is carried out)

1. Proportionality - Overall destruction must be outweighed by the amount of good achieved. No unnecessary violence and goal must be to restore peace. No civilian deaths and captured soldiers must be treated humanely.

2. War must be the absolute last result. Diplomatic resolution must have been tried and failed.

3. Probability - There must be a reasonable chance of success for the country waging war. There is no point in starting a futile war.

Jus ad Bellum

Having Just Cause (justice of war)

1. Only the proper authority can wage war/sanction war. Must reflect the authority of sovereign state.

2. The cause of war must be just. Related to Walzer’s Theory of Aggression.

3. Must have the right intentions/motivations. Not for territorial gain, revenge. Example of good intentions: defending the state against an attack, restoring peace.

Thucydides Trap

When a rising power causes fear in an established power, escalating towards war.

Pericles

Athenian general who increased the empire through his charisma that motivated the nation.

Pericles’ Policies

1. Athens should bide their time and let Sparta bring the war to them.

2. Take care of the Athenian navy. No ambitious land wars, focus on naval strength.

3. No new conquests. Attempt no empirical expansion.

Sparta

900-year-old land-based military power. Isolated from the rest of Greece. Autocracy with two kings. Comparisons to the Soviet Union.

Just War Theory

Attempt to justify war by examining military ethics. Set of moral principles that determine when it is right to go to war, and how to fight ethically. Closely associated to Thomas Aquinas.

Thomas Aquinas

Italian priest that provided the first attempt to codify ethics of war. Uses Christianity as a way to put morality on war. Two components of Just War Theory: jus ad bellum and jus in bello.

Delian League

Alliance of Greek states against the common Persian threat. Quickly fell apart after the Persian Wars concluded. Note similarities with NATO.

Against Realism

Michael Walzer’s arguments for Just War Theory and against realist theory

1. There is always room for moral discussion in war (Melian Dialogue)

2. Moral argument is no more vague than strategic language. Strategy requires objective arguments (Mytilenean Debate)

Thomas Hobbes

English philosopher who believed the only way to escape the State of Nature is to create a Social Contract. Wrote Leviathan.

State of Nature

The natural condition of mankind is violence and war. Created by Hobbes who was influenced by the English Civil War.

Social Contract (The Leviathan)

In order to move beyond the condition of war, individuals must give up some of their rights to “the sovereign.” The sovereign must enforce compliance with the law in order to solve the State of Nature.

Key to State Survival (Hobbes)

States must amass power to protect themselves. Power comes from control of material resources, the location and size of territories, size of GDP, military strength, and population size.

Security Dilemma

When one state builds up its defenses, it causes a ripple of other states feeling less secure and building up their own defenses in an arms race. The expectation of conflict is what makes the conflict inevitable.

3 Causes of War in Nature of Man

1. Competition for gain (humans have a self-interest for power)

2. Diffidence for safety (root cause of war)

3. Glory/Reputation (psychological need to dominate others)

Theory of Aggression

There is an obvious aggressor against a defender.

The Power Divide (Robert Kagan)

Explains a contemporary problem in transatlantic relations:

America has a considerable amount of military strength compared to its European allies in NATO. Relations in NATO has become considerably worsened after the common enemy (USSR) has been defeated; note similarities with the Delian League after Prussia was defeated.

Machiavelli

Key realist, born to wealthy family in Florence, learned about the world of power politics during time as a diplomat. Saw political order as fragile and in a constant struggle, believed preserving order must take precedence over anything else for states.

Themes of The Prince

1. Reasons of State - The existence of a state is a justifiable end goal in it of itself. The ultimate goal of politics is national glory. Ideally, rulers will use Christian values to pursue glory, but it is okay to abandon morals to continue the existence of the state.

2. Fortune and How to Control It - Fortune determines fate only about half of the time. It is not enough to have strength, rulers must also be cunning and flexible. Good leaders know when/how to use morality.

Cesare Borgia (Duke Valentino, Duke of Romagna)

Was gifted the Romagna principality through his father, Pope Alexander VI, and wanted to expand through a brutal military campaign. Made the mistake of supporting Julius II as the next pope after his father died. Got his state through good fortune, and lost it when that fortune ran out.

Pope Alexander VI

Creates political disorder between the Venetians and French and Italians. Used this power vacuum to gift the Romagna region to his son.

Remirro de Orco

A swift and cruel man that was given the job of pacifying Romagna by Cesare Borgia. Borgia feared he was getting too powerful, so he publicly executed him when Romagna was pacified. Machiavelli says this act deserves close study and imitation.

Melian Dialogue

Athens gives neutral Melos a “with us or against us” ultimatum because the Melians do not want to submit to Athenian rule.

M: Athens is abusing their power and going against their democratic views they are so proud of.

A: It is within our best interest to rule over all those that are weaker than us while we still have the power to do so.

M: Athens is committing an immoral act of aggression against an independent state.

A: It is within the morals of our own interest to enact our power against the weak.

M: The gods would not approve of your actions.

A: We believe the gods would be in our favor because they too believe it is the law of nature to rule over what you can.

M: We would rather die than submit to slavery.

A: This is a matter of saving your own lives, and you have no chance of survival.

Coming to Power by Crime

Chapter 8 of The Prince: Brutality can win power, but can never win glory.

Agathocles of Syracuse came from the lowest socioeconomic class in Sicily and worked his way up through the military. He killed the senators and elite citizens of Syracuse and became the king.

How Strength Should be Measured

Chapter 10 of The Prince: states should be able to stand along and defend themselves in both economic and military strength.

Church States

Chapter 11 of The Prince: States already have glory from a higher power.

Pope Alexander VI gained temporal power through money and arms.

Pope Julius II crushed the Venetians and chased the French out of Italy.

Military Organization

Chapters 12-14 of The Prince: Good armies are more important to the success of a principality than laws. Every state should have its own standing army, and should not rely on mercenaries.

Princely Leadership

Chapter 15 of The Prince: Princes can’t always have virtuous qualities. In fact, some things that princes get blamed for, might be the same cause of their success. Princes only need to appear to be virtuous.

Cruelty and Compassion

Chapter 17 of The Prince: Cruelty must be used against those that need to be made an example out of. Princes must also be prudent so they are not reliant on cruelty. Only fear elicits obedience; better to be feared than loved.

Stalin relied too heavily on cruelty.