Military for War or Peace
Military for war or peace is a very debatable issue. Democratic nations believe that there is a need to establish a strong military because it not only helps in protecting national boundaries but also helps maintain internal peace. The probability that disputes between states will be resolved peacefully is positively affected by the degree of democracy exhibited by the least democratic state involved in that dispute. Disputes between democratic states are significantly shorter than disputes involving at least one undemocratic state. This is largely because in a democratic system there is a lot more governing force over military than in other forms of political establishments. Democratic states are more likely to be amenable to third party mediation when they are involved in disputes with each other.
In international crises that include the threat or use of military force, one study finds that if the parties are democracies, then relative military strength has no effect on who wins. However there is a difference when non democracies are involved. As it is obvious in most cases military is primarily to protect a nation’s interest, so one can assume it is aimed at being prepared for war. But the military also plays an important role in maintaining civil peace in many nations. However a comparison drawn between its requirement for war or peace, the favor is greatly tilted towards war. Take for example America which is involved in military conflictions with many nations, or China’s interest in Tibet, and the wide number of nuclear tests going on in many countries, each saying we are ready for war!
Wars can only result in loss of life and property, and either of the states involved recur losses. It is important to weigh human life above war. The recognition of importance of humanity over war is a good way of avoiding loss of life and property, and this calls for a joint effort the world over.
