Why Nations Go To War

If we want to prevent wars, we have to be willing to engage in them. 

It seems counter-intuitive, but it’s true. 

Think of it like this: if a kid is getting bullied by someone bigger than him, he might call on the help of his big brother. The big brother could certainly defeat the bully but if the bully knows the big brother doesnt’ fight, why would he stop bullying? 

Here’s how that works with war: 

When one country wants something that another country prevents them from having,  and the conflict can’t be resolved peacefully, they begin to seriously consider war. 

More specifically, they consider what war will cost. 

The only chance we have to make them back down is to try and convince them that the cost of war is too high. 

And the only way to convince them of THAT is by showing them that we have a bigger, better, military force that we’re ready to use if necessary. 

In other words, we convince them that it will cost too much or it will take too long. 

Basically, the big brother has to be willing to fight which might convince the bully that he’ll lose. 

By getting involved, we hopefully prevent them from engaging in a war they’ve decided they probably won’t win.