If wars occurred such that one person, or a certain government could be blamed for it entirely, the world would be a much better place. Peace treaties like the Treaty of Versailles would be simple and direct, and many conflicts could be avoided. Unfortunately, this is not the case. I feel that when wars erupt, governments should take some blame, but definitely not all of it.
This topic is rather subjective, as there are many types of wars, and the government's roles in each type is different. For the purpose of this essay, I will look at two kinds of wars. First of all, there are inter-country wars, which occur between two nations. Next, there are civil wars which occur within a country.
I will deal with inter-country wars first. These kinds of wars usually occur because a nation is either unhappy with another nation, or because a nation wants glory and conquest. We can reference to the fighting between the US and Japan in World War Two, where US bombed Japan for, among other reasons, attacking Pearl Harbour. Another example would be World War Two, where Japan invaded many countries including Singapore and China to gain more resources. When faced in a situation like what US faced in World War Two, the government cannot be blamed for any war that occurred. On the first level, it is not their fault that the other country decided to attack them. If they did not cause the war to occur, but the war instead occurred because of the acts of another government, it is only fair that they are not blamed. Before blaming a government for a war, we should also look at the government's possible options. In the face of military aggression, governments can either fight back, or appeal to the opposing forces. Not putting up any resistance has short-term and long-term effects. Most obviously, it would lead to many civilian lives being lost. In the long term, it may send a signal to the rest of the world that this country is weak, and a free source of resources. Governments often do not have much choice, and war is often the most realistic solution. Of course, this does not mean that when an opposing force invades, the fault should always lie with the enemy. If the country has acted unfairly towards another country, it is only natural that the other country fights back. In such instances, the fault will lie with the government which acted unfairly.
Next, I will deal with Civil Wars. These kinds of wars usually occur when a large country is divided over an issue. Again, it depends on the situation whether the government is to blame. In some cases, the war is over an ideological one, where factions are warring over a difference in views. The American Civil War is an example. During the American Civil War, America was split into North and South America. South America stood for free trade and for people to own, whereas North America stood for protectionist measures, and to abolish slavery. This ideological differences caused the two sides to come to war. While I understand that it may be hard to reconcile the two factions, I believe that the governments should try to meet amiably, and come up with viable and peaceful measures. We can achieve this in today's society fairly easily; after all US managed to pass the US healthcare reform plan without armed conflict. The onus should lie with the governments to ensure that disagreements are ironed out, and war does not erupt. When a Civil War erupts, it is not a case whereby both parties are not to blame, but rather it is a case where both governments are at fault. Additionally, one main reason Civil Wars can erupt is because the government is weak, and has made several serious mistakes. Under a strong, unifying government, Civil Wars would die out quickly, as the government would take control of the situation. The Rwandan Genocide occurred because the Belgian government made the mistake of favouring the Tutsis, which led to resentment among the Hutus. The reason why the conflict could escalate was the absence of an effective government; when the Presidents of Rwanda and Burundi were assassinated, extremist parties competed for power, fuelling the conflict. Civil Wars takes advantage of the weakness and blunders made by the government, and most of time, when a dominant and powerful party comes into power, the conflict would stop. Many of the Civil Wars occurred under a weak government. During the three kingdoms period, there was no stable government to rule China, during the Yugoslavian conflict, the government was not strong enough to control the country. Governments have the onus of making their government system effective, and prevent Civil Wars from erupting
However, while in some situations the government should be blamed for war, it is rare that the only contributing factor to war is the government. Most of the time, there are external factors that fuel the conflict, and the government is rarely completely to blame. For instance, one of the reasons World War Two erupted was due to the economic depression, which caused many Germans to be unhappy, and this allowed Adolf Hitler to lead Germany into war. Wars do not happen in isolation, and external factors can contribute to the war to a large extent. Thus, while we can sometimes blame governments for the war, we should remain cognizant of the other factors that led to war.
War is complex, and many factors can lead to war. Governments do play an important part in preventing and solving war. However, sometimes it is inevitable that wars erupt. In such situations, governments should then ensure that the war is a quick and decisive one, and that the least people are harmed.
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