INSTRUMENTS OF FOREIGN &

DEFENCE POLICY: USE OF FORCE,

COVERT ACTION & WAR
QUESTION:
WHY DO STATES GO TO WAR?
WHY DO STATES GO TO WAR?
• Inter-state and intra-state wars
• Civil wars, revolutionary wars, asymmetric
war, colonial wars, cold war, hot wars, proxy
wars, religious wars, rcyber war, etc.
 Definition
• “armed conflict between two independent
units”
• “a part of political intercourse… a continuation
of politics with an admixture of other means…
an extension of political policy to the field of
force”
• “the organized and systematic use of violence”
 CAUSES OF WAR
1. Biological - inherent
2. Psychological – fanaticism, radicalization, chauvinistic
ideology
3. Sociological – group conflict
4. Economic - colonialism
5. Military
6. Strategic
7. Political
8. Leadership
9. Fear
10. Adventure
 QUESTIONS
• Can war be explained by a single casual
factor?
• Can war be abolished?
• What accounts for the absence of major wars
since 1945?
• Is the use of force still an option for states?