International relation-What is anarchy in IR What causes war Essay

International relation-What is anarchy in IR What causes war - Essay Example Because of this, not only are there different views that explain causes of war, but the same has also given rise to views on international conflict, with many foreign policymakers and political scientists viewing war as a continuation of politics, and others, as a culmination of a debilitated international systems. The causes are to be discussed in the discourse that extends forthwith. According to Kenneth Waltz, one of the principal causes of war is human nature. This aspect of human nature as a cause of war is inclusive of personal characteristics such as personality, activities, opinions and choices which may shape the course of international relations, or eve exacerbate an already antagonistic inter-state relation into a combative outbreak. In this case, such an individual will usually be a political leader, a major actor within an international system, or a decision maker. Just as Waltz posits, leaders who fall within this rubric are likely to take on characteristics that are aggressive, likely to harbour misperceptions that exist among leaders [on matters that are important in the international system] and amiable to the characteristics and aspirations of the public masses. In this light, using this theory means that the causes of war have been placed onto one or several individuals who are involved in a conflict. History seems to lend credence to the school of thought immediately above and that of Waltz. This is especially the case when one considers World War II whose cause was anteceded by Adolf Hitler’s expansionist ideals. It is a fact that on 31 January, 1933, then German Chancellor Adolf Hitler made it known that if Germany was to be made strong, he would have to ready herself for war. Consequently, in 1933, Hitler began to secretly rearm Germany and made this effort public in 1935. Since the rearmament was against the Treaty of Versailles, Germany broke ranks with the United Kingdom, Russia and France- powerful states which felt