Surname 2
The causes of war highlight why wars start while the reasons of war justify why wars are
fought. Currently, the main cause of war is mysticism. It entails notion acquired through non-
rational, non-sensory means such as intuition, revelation, or faith (Biddle). Jihadist groups and
Islamic regimes are waging wars against western countries since they believe in Allah’s
scriptural commandments, which require Muslims to fight and kill infidels. Statism is another
cause of war throughout history. This occurs when a state can force people to fight against their
will whether for the nation, God, race, or community. This is evident during the Nazi regime in
Germany and during the colonial period in the U.S. where the white supremacists waged war on
Native and Black Americans with the notion of protecting their race.
Comparatively, there are numerous reasons used to justify wars. Economic gains are
often used to justify wars as most conflicts often have economic motives, even if the stated
purpose of the war is outlined as noble. Since pre-industrial times, warring countries usually
considered what economic gain they would achieve if they were to wage wars. For example, the
Soviet Union sought to mine Nickel from Finland, but the Finnish declined and therefore, Stalin
waged war against Finland (Jackson and Massimo). Another reason for war is territorial gains,
which are closed associated with nationalism, militarism, and imperialism. During the
colonization era, countries such as Britain, France, and Germany used to invade countries and
occupy their territories, and the wars the countries fought were justified by territory gains.
In overall, there is huge difference between the reasons and causes of war. Causes seek to
explain why wars start while reasons aim at outlining why wars are fought. The analysis has
outlined different causes of war such as mysticism, collectivism, and statism and different
reasons such as economic and territorial gains, revenge, and religion. The cause of war bears the
main aim of wars, whereas reasons provide the rationalizing which supports the war.
