Comment 2 Pick a War (View Point Aggresor - Research Paper Example

Download file to see previous pages... However, Bulgaria was sceptical of Greece’s strengths and was concerned that Greece was on the brink of war with the Porte relative to dispute over Crete. In addition, the weaknesses implicit in the Ottomans particularly during the Italo-Turkish War motivated these states to look beyond their own issues with one another. Thus, in 1912 a defensive alliance was signed between Serbia and Bulgaria. Greece followed with a similar alliance with Sofia and Sofia followed by singing a similar agreement with Montenegro. As Hodge puts it, “Balkan states formed a network of alliances against Constantinople”.5 B. The primary that set off the shooting World powers became concerned about their interests in the region. For example, France was concerned that Russia would gain dominance in the Balkans. Austria-Hungary was particularly concerned about Serbia’s possible expansion since it sat on the southern border. As a result, Austria-Hungary appealed to other European powers to warn Balkan states not to upset the “balance of power.”6 Nevertheless, the Balkan League was convinced of their power and on 8 October 1912, Montenegro declared war on the Ottoman Empire. Four days later, the remaining states in the Balkan League would follow suit.7 Thus, the Balkan League was the aggressor in the Balkan War of 1912. C. Was the war legal when it happened? Would it be today? The applicable international instrument regulating the law of war at the time was the Hague Convention 1907. According to Article 1 of the 1907 Convention, states may not commence hostilities against one another unless an express advance notice is given “in the form of a declaration.”8 Since the war started with a declaration of war on the part of Montenegro which was followed by declarations by the remaining members of the Balkan League, the war was legal in 1912. However, today, the war would not be legal pursuant to the UN Charter in which various articles insist upon the peaceful settlement of disputes between states, forbid the use of military force and calls for respect of the integrity of sovereignty. The right to use force is only justified in defence of state sovereignty and generally where a threat is eminent.9 D. The Secondary Cause of War The seeds of discord leading to the first Balkan War were planted since the 1800s. At that time a wave of nationalism sweeping France and Germany filtered over into the Balkan Peninsular. Initially, the idea of nationalism in the Balkans centered around a demand for standardizing a Balkan language and thus emphasized a connection to a Balkan culture that predated the Ottomans. In the meantime, the nationalism movement in the Balkans took on a political tone. With nationalism taking on a political tone, there was a “strong desire to achieve national unity” which “motivated the Balkan states to confront their erstwhile Ottoman conquerors”.10 There was a common belief among Balkan nationalist movements that in order for the Balkan states to move forward successfully, they needed to be united. ...Download file to see next pagesRead More