Unit Question – Is War Inevitable? (Long-term & Short-term factors)

1. Unit Question – Is War Inevitable? (Long-term & Short-term factors) Strategies For Creating/ Maintaining Peace Factors Leading to Peace Factors Leading to War Stable Central Governments (If government is strong and stable, you don’t need violence to defend yourself) • Build stable central governments • Peacekeeping / Diplomacy / Expert Aid Instability / Anarchy (We need our own weapons and threats to defend ourselves) • Make people’s lives longer and better • Economic and humanitarian aid Life is Precious (People who live long and good lives don’t like seeing soldiers die young) Life is Cheap (If life is short and brutal, war doesn’t seem so terrible) Build trading and other cooperative partnerships Non-Zero Sum Game (Other people / countries are worth more to you alive than dead) Zero Sum Game (I want what you’ve got) Expanding Circle (Humans have empathy for family and friends; more friends & allies means more people we look out for) • Increase understanding • Education • Cultural exchanges Small Circle (Outsiders / “others” are less important, and there are lots of them) • In the shorter term, for specific conflicts: • Diplomacy • International intervention (Peacekeepers, economic sanctions, no-fly zones, etc.) • Public pressure (press reports, demonstrations, boycotts, etc.)