If nobody joined the army would there be any wars?

Question

People often blame dictators and governments and religions and so on for wars but is it not people themselves who are to blame for accepting the call to war?

Answer 1

I always said that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could be compared to the Vietnam War. Now here we have it. A little reminder of a popular graffiti during the Vietnam War: 'Suppose they gave a war and nobody came.' So it's not just politicians who are incapable of learning from history, it's all of us.

Answer 2

People cannot really be blamed for war, they are the objective, the prize. Many times when a nation goes to war diplomacy has failed. It would be fairer to blame the politicians who could not reach an agreement. In the largest wars in history most of the armies have been conscripted rather than professional soldiers, in fact quite a few still supplement their standing army with conscripts, are they at fault for not breaking the laws of their land when they did not refuse?
The object of war is the people, do you blame the jewels when the thief steals them?

Answer 3

Both sides would need to refuse to fight...and there we hit "the prisoner's dilemma" - where you separate two suspects and tell each of them that if they confess to the crime and rat out their accomplice, they will do the full prison term, but their accomplice will to twice as much time. Since neither one can be sure the other is not taking the deal, they will normally both confess on the spot. So since neither side wants to risk being invaded with no protect, they will both raise armies based on the fear of their citizens. The same now applies to the so-called pre-emptive actions taken against more distant countries these days in the fear they are about to act against us...but these are getting harder to gain support for, since the intelligence is bad and the lying is worse.

Answer 4

Yes, there were wars long before there were armies. They were much more brutal, and targeted the women and children, in order to wipe out the opposing people entirely.

Armies were eventually formed to organize the process, and cut down on the wasteful slaughter of potential slave laborers.

Answer 5

even if every one didnt join there would still be the option of conscription so you wouldnt get out of it as goverments always have the option
so there's no way out of it
besides if there were no wars who would the gun dealers sell there products to ? the goverment is not the only point of blame for the startin of wars

Answer 6

They`d force us to go to war, we wouldn`t have any choice in the matter. But your question does make me wonder if all the politicians children were forced to join the military would we have as many wars?

Answer 7

The political leaders would have to arm wrestle or something. I wonder if any of the wars that have been fought would have turned out different if that was the case?

Answer 8

That would be nice wouldn't it. Fraid not though,. You just have to look at the number of people willing to fight who aren't in the army whether that's insurgents in Iraq or the bloke down the pub on a saturday night.
They don't just "accept" they actally want to.

Answer 9

People kill each other without going to war, its called the law of survival, unfortunately.

Answer 10

That would be too simplistic a view of the issues, as wars do not happen merely out of what one might imagine to be merely a luxury trend in human nature, or out of some wants superfluous in human nature, or out of what is avoidable in human life, or what is only subsidiary mind, wars happen because they are necessitated by nature and the simplest of our natural needs; human beings are by warring by nature.

All humans need food, shelter and security; all need to see that their ways of life as the best, prevailing and held in highest esteem round the world. Then it is also very strong in human nature to disseminate their ideals, their ideologies and ways of thinking. All this because we have resources to share and decisions have to be made as who is going to control what.

Wars are necessitated when nations, cultures, ideals, values, ways of doing things overlap in one certain place in a certain critical way. Or when people for the fulfilment of their basic needs come under threat, when their rights are being usurped by stronger, opposing or subversive forces; or when their fail to assert themselves in normal peaceful way, when they fail to claim their rights.

People would always raise their arms against any such forces of oppression, against injustice, against cruelty, against ignorance, poverty disease and hunger, of for similar other reasons, not always out of choice, but often out of their natural need or dire necessities. If some people would not go to war other will, and if no one would wish to fight causes will still remain. This is true as far as the situation of human condition stands to date.