The Re-emergence of Internatiol War- Was Mueller Overly Optimistic in the End of War Debate - Essay Example

He considers that there was strong emotional opposition to war when the First World War was fought, and that by the time of the Second World War, this sentiment was so strongly advanced that war became obsolete1.Mueller’s arguments follow two perspectives. The first is the recognition that war has become much less popular, and the second is an explanation for this pattern. Both of these viewpoints are important, and it is only by examining both of these can the relevance of Mueller’s perspectives to the current world situation be understood.

The term war is a word that has many uses and is defined differently depending on the situation that is occurring, and the desires of the people describing what is occurring. Understanding these distinctions is important in examining Muller’s arguments, as he uses a specific definition of war and argues his points on this basis. As an expression, war is often used to refer to any strife or conflict, whether within a state or between different states. This period of conflict may not be longstanding, and the use of the word war may be used to escalate the perception of the events.

The term war is also used as a way of describing a particular campaign. For example, two well known ‘wars’ that the United States has created are the ‘war on terrorism’ and the ‘war on drugs’, phrases that have become well known since their instigation. However, the term is most relevant when used to describe a serious, extended armed conflict that occurs within a state (civil war) or between states (international war)2. One useful definition is that war is “sustained coordinated violence between political organisations”3 Muller’s argument is focused on war occurring between international bodies and he argues that major war between important states has not occurred since the Second World War, and that this long, unusual, period of peace is due to a change in the perception of war.

The hypothesis that major war has become obsolete does not state that war never occurs, rather that it has moved from being a viable option, to something that is only considered under extreme circumstances, meaning while it may still happen, it is rare4. There is a significant amount of evidence supporting this proposition. Since the end of the 1980s the overall level of large-scale violence has decreased worldwide, both in terms of the amount of conflicts and the number of deaths. Furthermore, within the same time period, even the prevalence of non-state conflict has decreased5.

Mueller’s argument considers that peace has come as the result in of a change in perceptions, with war becoming aberrant or not considered in the same way that two men having an argument do not consider duelling one another, and how slavery is no longer considered a legitimate option6. However, war is generally not caused, or prevented by a single factor; instead there are many different relevant factors that can interact with one another7. One perspective on why international war has decreased in prevalence is that in the current era, there are many less rivalries between great powers, and therefore, the likelihood of a large scale international war is significantly decreased8.

Simply put, the major states do not have as much to argue about as they once did. This is also influenced by the fact that the international